'Ad genius' Lee Je-seok's no-smoking campaign signs at heritage sites go viral

Lee Je-seok, head of Lee Je-seok Advertising Lab and widely known as an advertising genius, has drawn widespread attention for designing a series of unconventional no-smoking signs aimed at curbing unauthorized smoking near cultural heritage sites.

The lab unveiled five no-smoking campaign signs Tuesday, designed to stamp out smoking near cultural heritage sites.

The signs feature Joseon-era kings, queens, civil officials and palace guards covering their noses and grimacing at cigarette smoke. Below the images, warnings in Chinese and English read "No smoking at cultural heritage sites" and "Smoking is destruction," alongside the phrase "If you respect me, I will respect you." One sign also depicts a man wearing a hat labeled "China" smoking a cigarette.

"Cultural heritage is not merely a tourism product — it is a treasure that holds a nation's history and spirit," Lee said. "Rather than simply ordering tourists not to do something, I thought the message would land far more easily and powerfully if the ancestors who once lived here stepped forward to express their displeasure themselves."

Lee also explained why he included the phrase "If you respect me, I will respect you." He said he had come across a survey in which some foreign tourists expressed disappointment with Koreans' attitudes toward them. "I wanted to ask in return: isn't how we treat them ultimately a reflection of how they treat us?" he said. "At the same time, I wanted to convey that we are more than willing to respect and welcome tourists who respect our culture," he added.

The number of foreign visitors to historic palaces is rising rapidly. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, about 14.85 million foreign tourists visited Seoul last year, a record high. In July this year alone, about 1.61 million people visited Seoul, setting a new monthly record. Data from the Cultural Heritage Administration showed that about 2.78 million foreign visitors came to Gyeongbokgung Palace last year, up 37.3 percent from the previous year.

The surge in visitors has brought a rise in violations of basic public order around the palaces, including smoking and littering cigarette butts and other waste. At historic palaces, where wooden structures are common, a lit cigarette poses a risk that goes beyond mere etiquette — it can spark a fire.

The lab said it plans to donate the sign designs free of charge to the Cultural Heritage Administration and other institutions that manage cultural heritage sites. Local governments, public institutions and private individuals may also download high-resolution files at no cost from the lab's website, provided the use is for public-interest purposes.

123@heraldcorp.com