SEJONG, March 15 (Korea Bizwire) – A recent study suggests that the South Korean government’s anti-smoking policies may need to be supplemented by diet and weight loss programs to better control weight gain, which sometimes follows smoking cessation. Researcher Choi Seng-eun at the Korea Institute of Public Finance, in a report on the effects of [...]
SEJONG, March 13 (Korea Bizwire) – Sales of cigarettes in South Korea fell for three straight months in February following the government push to imprint health warning graphics on the outside of packages, government data showed Monday. Some 240 million 20-packs of cigarettes were sold last month, down 14 percent from a year earlier, according [...]
SEOUL, Feb. 13 (Korea Bizwire) – Although they are seldom a go-to for longtime smokers, cigarettes that have a flavor capsule in the filter are highly appealing to youth including underage teenagers, who often prefer cigarettes with less of the bitterness of conventional brands. But such cigarettes can be more dangerous, and at the same [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 13 (Korea Bizwire) – It’s already two weeks into the new year, which means that more than a few smokers will have failed, once again, with their resolution to butt out. Cessation clinics in Korea tend to boom in early January, with smokers excited about the new, healthy lives that they’re about to [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 22 (Korea Bizwire) – Starting Friday, cigarette packets sold in South Korea will carry graphic images showing the harmful effects of smoking, in accordance with a law passed earlier this year. A total of 10 graphic health warnings are to be placed on the upper part of the packet, covering 30 percent of [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 8 (Korea Bizwire) – Members of the “I Love Smoking” group gathered outside the National Assembly building in Seoul Thursday demanding that the government repeal Korea’s cigarette price hike, which took effect in January 2015, and raised cigarette prices by 2,000 won ($1.76) per pack. Protestors held pickets alleging that the tobacco policy [...]
SEOUL, Nov. 28 (Korea Bizwire) – Nearly 6 out of 10 South Korean adults have abnormal health status due to diseases or suspected diseases, a government report based on a public health examination showed Sunday. According to the report issued by the National Health Insurance Service (NHIC), 57.2 percent of South Koreans who received health [...]
SEJONG, Sept. 20 (Korea Bizwire) – Cigarette taxes have long been used to discourage citizens from smoking and bolster government coffers. Either way, they’re usually a win-win strategy for both parties. The Korean government raised its cigarette taxes in 2015 by almost doubling the price of cigarettes from 2,500 or 2,700 won ($2.23) per pack [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 1 (Korea Bizwire) – The social implications of smoking have grown higher in recent years. With the government almost doubling cigarette prices in 2014 and major cities banning smoking on main streets, near subway station exits, and bus stations, smokers in Korea are likely feeling increasingly unwelcome. However, some experts are pushing for [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 1 (Korea Bizwire) – After a four-month grace period, the law that bans smoking near subway station exits in Seoul is now official. Those that smoke within 10 meters of any subway station exit will now be fined up to 100,000 won ($90). Since May 1, the Seoul Metropolitan Government and 25 Seoul [...]