One of three men is smoking in the Palace Museum. Photo: screenshot of video posted by China News Service

Three men who smoked in the Palace Museum and posted a video about it online were each fined 200 yuan ($29), sparking outrage from Chinese netizens who considered the punishment too light.

A video showing two men sitting in a corner in the museum, with one man smoking and talking to the camera, saying "who dares smoke in the Palace Museum?" drew the Beijing police's attention and public condemnation.

In the video, they said that smoking was banned in the museum but at the same time, smoked and bragged about their behavior, which went viral and was criticized by Chinese netizens.

Netizens urged the police to arrest the three men and severely punish them.

A police report on Saturday said the men were tourists on July 7 and shot the video from a restaurant in the museum.

They were each fined 200 yuan for disturbing public order.

However, most netizens said the punishment did not teach them a lesson. "This would not stop them from doing it," one netizen said.

Global Times