Smoking Deaths in South Korea Top 70,000 as Economic Toll Rises (Image supported by ChatGPT)
SEOUL, Jan. 6 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s long-running legal battle against tobacco companies is drawing renewed attention as new research shows that smoking has imposed an enormous and growing burden on the national health insurance system.
According to a study released Monday by the National Health Insurance Service’s research arm, smoking-related medical costs totaled an estimated 40.7 trillion won (about $29.9 billion) over the 11 years from 2014 to 2024, despite a steady decline in smoking rates. The research, conducted jointly with the World Bank, was published in The Lancet Regional Health – Western Pacific.
Using Global Burden of Disease methodology, the study found that annual smoking-related medical spending rose nearly 70 percent over the decade, from about 2.9 trillion won in 2014 to roughly 4.6 trillion won in 2024.
More than 82 percent of last year’s costs were borne by the public health insurance system, underscoring the fiscal strain smoking places on public finances.
Men accounted for about 80 percent of smoking-related medical expenditures, with costs heavily concentrated among people aged 50 to 79. While most male-related costs stemmed from direct smoking, nearly half of women’s smoking-related medical expenses were linked to secondhand smoke.
By disease category, cancer represented the largest share of expenditures, accounting for more than one-third of the total. Lung cancer alone made up nearly 8 trillion won, with related costs more than doubling over the decade.
What’s inside a cigarette? Korea to make the List public (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
Health officials said the findings provide clear evidence that both direct and indirect smoking continue to drive long-term health care spending, particularly for severe illnesses.
The National Health Insurance Service expects the study to serve as key scientific evidence in the upcoming appellate ruling in its damages lawsuit against major tobacco companies, scheduled later this month.
The case, filed in 2014 against firms including KT&G, Philip Morris Korea and BAT Korea, seeks compensation for smoking-related health care costs and marks the first tobacco lawsuit in South Korea brought by a public institution.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
