Super Junior’s Choi Si-won Stops Visitor From Smoking at Gyeongbokgung Palace

The Super Junior member calmly approached a visitor with a cigarette while filming a cultural heritage tour at Seoul’s historic royal palace.

Super Junior member and actor Choi Si-won is attracting attention for a brief encounter at Gyeongbokgung Palace that highlighted an important rule for visitors to Korea’s historic sites.

The moment appeared in an August 18 video uploaded to Choi’s YouTube channel. While touring the palace with volunteer cultural guide Yang In-eok, Choi noticed a foreign visitor with a cigarette and asked whether smoking was permitted inside the grounds.

When Yang confirmed that it was prohibited, Choi approached the visitor and made a short request in English: “Excuse me, please.”

The visitor immediately lowered the cigarette. Choi responded with “Thank you” and returned to the tour without extending the confrontation.

A quiet intervention, not a public confrontation

Some Korean headlines characterized Choi’s response as “teaching the tourist a lesson,” but the video itself shows a considerably calmer interaction.

Choi did not raise his voice, criticize the visitor’s nationality or attempt to embarrass the person on camera. He confirmed the rule with the guide, made a polite request and thanked the visitor for complying.

That distinction matters for international coverage. The incident was less a dramatic confrontation than a simple example of how someone can address inappropriate conduct without creating a larger conflict.

Smoking is prohibited throughout the palace

Gyeongbokgung is not merely a scenic tourist attraction. First constructed in 1395, it was the principal royal palace of the Joseon dynasty and contains numerous historically significant wooden structures.

Official visitor regulations published by Korea’s Royal Palaces and Tombs Center designate the entire grounds of the country’s royal palaces and related heritage sites as nonsmoking areas. Palace authorities may stop a visitor’s tour or require the individual to leave for violating the rule.

The restriction is closely connected to fire prevention. Open flames and cigarettes present an obvious risk at historic complexes containing wooden halls, gates and other vulnerable architectural elements.

Smoking restrictions at major heritage properties, including Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung and Deoksugung, have been formally enforced for years.

The video was intended as a cultural heritage tour

The smoking encounter represented only a small part of Choi’s longer Gyeongbokgung video.

He visited the palace with Yang In-eok, a volunteer guide who works to explain and protect Korea’s royal heritage. Choi said he had previously followed Yang’s work online and respected his dedication to Korean culture.

During the tour, the two introduced different parts of the palace and discussed their historical significance. Choi also expressed appreciation for volunteers and workers who help preserve the site for future generations.

The video concluded with a message in Korean and English emphasizing that freedom and peace should not be taken for granted and remembering those who sacrificed for the country.

Why the small moment resonated

Celebrity intervention videos can easily become confrontational content, particularly when a camera is already present. Choi’s response stood out because of how little drama he created.

He addressed the prohibited behavior directly while allowing the visitor to correct it without further humiliation. The moment also delivered a useful message to international travelers: rules at Korean palaces are connected to the protection of fragile cultural heritage, not simply public etiquette.

The incident lasted only a few seconds. Its wider appeal came from the fact that Choi treated respect for a historic site as something worth acting on, while still speaking respectfully to the person involved.