South Korea’s cigarette sales were little changed last year from a year earlier, but demand for e-cigarettes has increased amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, South Korea’s finance ministry said on Friday.
South Korean smokers bought 3.59 billion 20-packs in 2021, similar to the previous year’s record, according to the Ministry of Economy and Finance. According to the ministry, demand for traditional cigarettes has declined as people prefer to use e-cigarettes.
Sales of traditional cigarettes fell 2% year-on-year to 3.15 billion packs last year, while sales of heat-not-burn tobacco products rose 17.1% to 440 million packs. Cigarette sales fell 17.7 percent last year compared with 2014, and compared with the year before the country raised tobacco prices.
The government said it showed the country’s anti-smoking campaign was having an impact on curbing smoking. The country raised the price of cigarettes by 80 percent to 4,500 won per pack from 2,500 won ($2) in January 2015 to reduce smoking. In 2016, the government required tobacco companies to place graphic images depicting the harmful effects of smoking on the top of cigarette packs. As of 2020, South Korea’s smoking rate among men aged 19 or older hit a record 34 percent, down 1.7 percentage points from a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Health.
Conclusion: As people prefer to use e-cigarettes, the demand for traditional cigarettes has declined.
