Smoking in South Korea
[5] Smoking arrived in Korea through the introduction of tobacco in the early 1600s from Japan and quickly became a widespread and popular activity among the people regardless of gender, social class, and age.
Namely, the favorable climate and soil for tobacco cultivation created a profitable economic sector, and smoking was thought to be a health-promoting, social, and cultural activity.
[7] The Dutch mariner Hendrick Hamel wrote in the 17th century that tobacco use was so prevalent that even children began smoking by age four or five.
[7] According to the 2017 World Health Organization (WHO) report on the global tobacco epidemic, smoking prevalence was estimated to be 49.8% among males and 4.2% among females in 2015, when both daily and non-daily smokers were included.
[11] Another survey by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which included only daily smokers, indicated a smoking prevalence of 31.1% among males and 3.4% among females in 2015.
[12] The Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) tracks smoking behavior in Korean adults (aged 19 years or older).
[13][14] KNHANES aims to represent the Korean population through surveying approximately 10,000 individuals aged 1 year and older from 3,840 households.
[18] IQOS, a heat-not-burn tobacco product from company Philip Morris International (PMI), was introduced in South Korea in May 2017 in two stores in Seoul.
[21] Specifically, through a process called denormalization, smoke-free policies may shift attitudes of smokers and non-smokers from smoking acceptance to regarding it as an atypical behavior.
[11] It is important for smoke-free policies to specifically address hidden female smoking activity in order to prevent the possibly increasing prevalence rates among women.
For example, the cigarette costs can still be increased further, tobacco advertisements can be regulated more, and workplace smoking bans can include smaller companies.
[11] Challenges to addressing the high prevalence of smoking in South Korea include the low cost of cigarettes, social factors, inadequate anti-smoking measures, and the rise of new tobacco products.
[11] The sociocultural and economical context of South Korea should be considered when thinking about the trends in smoking prevalence and behavior.
[25] Furthermore, the survey found that the price to quit and prevalence of smoking were lower among those exposed to non-tax tobacco control policies compared with those who were not.
It is illegal to smoke in all bars and restaurants, cafes, internet cafes, government buildings, kindergartens, schools, universities, hospitals, youth facilities, libraries, children's playgrounds, private academies, subway or train stations and their platforms and underground pathways, large buildings, theaters, department stores or shopping malls, large hotels and highway rest areas.
Furthermore, tobacco prices have nearly doubled to an average of ₩4,500 KRW, and it is illegal to advertise misleading claims such as "light", "mild", "low tar" or "pure" on cigarette packs.
[34] The government will pass a law in 2015 to completely ban any form of advertising of cigarettes in convenience stores and make it illegal for tobacco companies to sponsor cultural or sport events.
[35] Smoking is illegal and strictly prohibited in the following premises: In addition to the nationwide ban laws, Seoul designates the following areas must be smoke-free and any spotted smoker must pay a fine of 100,000 won:[citation needed] In addition to the nationwide ban laws, several cities designate the following areas must be smoke-free: Although public campaigns have been used in South Korea, further evaluation is needed to assess their effectiveness.
The most effective form of campaign is one that reaches a large population and conveys negative health messages highlighting the harms of tobacco use.
Quitlines have been reported to be effective as a smoking cessation tool with the widespread use of mobile technology in South Korea.
Smoking cessation aids such as bupropion, varenicline and nicotine patches are handed out for free at any participating medical center nationwide.
[57] Residents of Seoul's Seocho District will receive a 5 million KRW cash prize if they have successfully quit smoking.
[59] Although there is rising awareness of the health effects of tobacco, the prevalent smoking environment in South Korea continues to place a significant burden of avoidable deaths.
Although no direct relationship could be established, the study notes that the children's decreased exposure to passive smoking may have contributed to the decline in symptoms.
They did this by estimating the relative risks of smoking, accounted for by physician visits, hospital admission, and death with other variables (e.g. age, body mass index, alcohol consumption) adjusted for.
The all causes approach examined the differences in direct and indirect costs between smokers and non-smokers for all conditions, regardless of disease type.
