Smoking in South Korea has decreased overall for both men and women in the past decades. However, a high prevalence of tobacco use is still observed, especially with the rise of novel tobacco products such as e-cigarettes and heat-not-burn tobacco products. There are socioeconomic inequalities in smoking prevalence according to gender, income, education, and occupational class.[1] Advocates call for measures to reduce the smoking rates and address smoking inequalities using a combination of monitoring and tobacco control policies. These measures include significant price hikes, mandatory warning photos on cigarette packs, advertising bans, financial incentives, medical help for quitting, and complete smoking bans in public places.[2]
In 2021, the smoking rate for Koreans over 19 was 19.3%, a record low.[3][4] That year, 31.3% of men and 6.9% of women were smokers.[3] A 2022 study reported that this was a 50% decrease from 20 years ago.[5]