“With the rising interest in health and wellness, more smokers are seeking mild cigarettes,” said a KT&G official. (image: KobizMedia/ Korea Bizwire)
SEOUL, May 26 (Korea Bizwire) – Sales of mild cigarettes that contain lower levels of tar and nicotine are increasing each year.
According to KT&G (the Korea Tobacco & Ginseng Corporation), sales of low-tar cigarettes – containing under 1mg of tar and 0.1mg of nicotine – accounted for almost 50 percent of total cigarette sales last year.
Total sales of low-tar and low-nicotine cigarettes increased from 1 billion packs in 2011 to 1.19 billion in 2012, 1.23 billion 2013, and 1.34 billion in 2014.
Low-tar and low nicotine cigarettes accounted for 49.2 percent of all cigarette sales last year. The figure has increased steadily from 40.8 percent in 2011 to 43.1 percent in 2012, 45.3 in 2013, and 48.1 in 2014. And at this rate, the KT&G expects the figure to exceed 50 percent this year.
“With the rising interest in health and wellness, more smokers are seeking mild cigarettes,” said a KT&G official. “Smokers seem to have the mindset that they would rather smoke relatively less harmful products if they cannot quit completely.”
KT&G currently sells 70 different cigarette products, 34 of which are mild cigarettes with less than 1mg of tar.
By Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
