No Smoking . . . unless you want to

I've long noticed the unmistakable stench of cigarette smoke present in bathroom stalls and stairwells around KBS, but until today had never actually witnessed someone lighting up. There are "No Smoking" signs posted in recording studios throughout the building, and odd stickers applied to bathroom stall doors that, as far as I can tell, imply one of two things; 1) crabs are using our toilets or, 2) crabs prefer unfiltered cigarettes when using the toilet. Despite the ambiguous warnings, five minutes in a bathroom at KBS can leave you smelling like you've been hanging out in a smoky tavern for hours. I often see men (never women) standing in stairwells, wafts of smoke circling around them, but the sources of the fumes are always concealed, as though they don't realize the smell and reduced visibility in the area are a dead giveaway. And today, a first; I watched a cavalier gentleman light up with the suave mystique of a 1950s movie star while sauntering down the hallway outside my office. According to my sources, you're "not supposed to" smoke in the building, but apparently that rule isn't strictly enforced, and certainly not to someone who looks so cool in the act.

While smoking is quite prevalent among Korean men (around 4 in 10), the women who partake of cancer sticks usually do so in private places (such as bathroom stalls) where they can't be seen. Just last week I noticed two very feminine, well-dressed 20-something Korean girls crouched in a back alley of a busy downtown district, puffing away. I've never seen a Korean woman smoking openly, so unless there really are crabs using the bathrooms in KBS, someone is breaking the rules!