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BTS' Jungkook’s recent smoking photos and videos, which surfaced on September 7, 2023, have led netizens to argue whether or not the Korean soloist has violated California’s law prohibiting smoking. The images and videos showed Jungkook smoking outside Matsuhisa, a sushi restaurant in Los Angeles, while chatting with his teammates as he stood beside one of his three SUVs.
The BTS member was seen taking a smoke break outside the restaurant when the American gossip website Lainey Gossip took pictures and videos of him. Once the video went viral, netizens started arguing over the artist's violation of California's State Law, which prohibits smoking on the sidewalk. Meanwhile, other ARMYs defended the Seven singer by stating that he had smoked in the restaurant's smoking zone.
What does the California State Law Smoking prohibition actually state? Did Jungkook violate the law?
As per the official website of the California State Law, the smoking prohibition permits individuals to smoke at:
- private smoking lounges (State Law)
- inside or within designated hotel/motel areas
- within the public sidewalks, streets, alleyways, etc., only if they are actively traveling
- within moving vehicles that doesn't have children in vicinity
- or at designated smoking areas of private businesses and at outdoor public events
So, according to the law, the BTS member doesn't seem to have violated any state law of California and was seen smoking in the "designated area of a private business" of the Matsuhisa restaurant. Furthermore, the California State Law also mentions the area where it is completely prohibited to smoke.
In the following image from the official website of the California State Law, it can be noted that the non-permitted smoking areas also include "within the public right-of-way (sidewalks, streets, alleyways, etc.) unless actively travelling." It's crucial to note that the BTS member was actively traveling from South Korea to Los Angeles for a day to prepare for the MTV VMAs.
According to California State Law, all claims against the singer are therefore refuted. As such, the BTS member has not violated the state's smoking laws in any manner.
Netizens remain divided in their opinion as Jungkook's smoking video clip goes viral
As per the Korean social portal theqoo, the reservation manager of the Beverly Hills restaurant, Matsuhisa, the establishment does allow smoking in the area where the Seven singer was seen smoking on the evening of September 7.
Following this, many fans were quick to defend the BTS star and his personal life choices as an adult, while others expressed their disappointment towards his actions. In the meantime, many others also claimed that the videos and images are edited and photoshopped by haters.
Fans of the Seven singer also posted images from May and August 2023 where various Hollywood celebrities, such as Allison Mosshart, could be seen smoking outside Matsuhisa. While those who did not speak in favor of the singer, debated over the missing ashtray outside the restaurant and accusing Jungkook of BTS of littering.
Amidst all this, fans speculate that Jungkook had flown to Los Angeles to prepare for his MTV Video Music Awards performance, where his latest English single Seven earned a nomination for the category of 'MTV Song of Summer'. He came back to South Korea on September 9, 2023.
