• November 13, 2024

South Korea calculates the price of addiction

If the price of cigarettes in South Korea were to be increased to almost four times the current level, even financially well-off smokers might be prompted to quit, according to a story in The Korea Times.

According to a survey of 800 smokers carried out by the Korea Health and Social Affairs organization, a price of WON8,943 per pack of cigarettes is the tipping point at which most smokers would start to think seriously about quitting. The current average price of a pack of cigarettes is about WON2,500.

That threshold varies according to smokers’ incomes, with those in the bottom 25 percent income bracket saying WON8,497 per pack would prompt a lifestyle change, and those in the top 25 percent saying WON9,660 per pack would be too much to pay.