Cigarette smoking is exacting a grim toll on both lives and finances in South Korea. (Image courtesy of Korea Bizwire)
SEOUL, Nov. 3 (Korea Bizwire) – Cigarette smoking is exacting a grim toll on both lives and finances in South Korea. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), nearly 60,000 lives are claimed annually, and the economic cost stands at a staggering 12 trillion won. To combat this societal burden, experts from various countries have joined forces.
In a bid to address this issue, the KDCA organized the ’2023 International Symposium on Tobacco Harm’ at COEX in Samseong-dong, Seoul.
According to data from 2019, tobacco use was responsible for a distressing 58,036 deaths in Korea, translating to a grim statistic of 159 lives lost each day due to smoking-related causes.
Breaking down the numbers further, there were 157,479 men and 133,468 women aged 30 and above who died nationwide in 2019. Among these tragic fatalities, 32.3 percent of men (59,942), and 5.3 percent of women (7,094) succumbed to smoking-related diseases.
The socioeconomic costs of smoking in Korea amounted to a staggering KRW 12.19 trillion. This figure includes KRW 6.46 trillion in lost productivity due to premature deaths, KRW 4.62 trillion in disease treatment costs, and KRW 1.12 trillion in productivity losses during treatment.
In recent years, the societal impact of smoking has been exacerbated as an increasing number of people, particularly adolescents, young adults, and women, have been drawn to ‘flavored cigarettes’ designed to mimic the taste and aroma of traditional tobacco.
A survey conducted by the KDCA in May and June last year, encompassing 10,300 individuals aged 13-39, revealed that 77.2 percent (4,450) of the 5,243 smokers were using flavored tobacco. This marked a 12.4 percentage point increase from 2016 (64.8 percent).
When analyzed by age, the prevalence of flavored tobacco usage was highest among 13-18 year-olds (85 percent), followed by 19-24 year-olds (80.1 percent), and 25-39 year-olds (74.5 percent). The data underscores that the younger the age group, the greater the inclination toward flavored tobacco.
Notably, a substantial 67.6 percent of respondents indicated that flavored tobacco played a role in initiating their smoking habit, as opposed to 32.4 percent who reported that it did not.
Of particular concern is the finding that those who commenced smoking with flavored tobacco were 1.4 times more likely to persist as smokers compared to those who started with non-flavored tobacco.
Dr. Ji Young-mi, the director of the KDCA, emphasized, “The recent introduction of various new cigarette products is leading to an upsurge in users and altering smoking behavior. This may result in new health risks for the population.”
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
