SEOUL, Dec. 13 (Korea Bizwire) — A steady decrease in smoking in South Korea, led by the government’s strong anti-smoking policy, has been curbed during the pandemic.
KT&G Corp., the country’s dominant tobacco firm, reported its sales reached 2.64 trillion won (US$2.23 billion) in the first nine months of the year, up 20.2 percent from 2019 prior to the outbreak of COVID-19 (1.45 trillion won).
The company sold 31.1 billion cigarettes during the first three quarters of the year, which was 2.4 percent more than in 2019 (30.4 billion).
Total demand for cigarettes during the first three quarters of the year, including those from foreign manufacturers like Philip Morris and British American Tobacco (BAT), came to 48.1 billion cigarettes, up 70 million cigarettes from two years ago.
Industry experts argue that the pandemic, coupled with economic hardship, depression and a sense of helplessness has led to higher smoking rates.
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