Cigarette price hike triggers violence in South Korea

As the clock ticks towards the end of December, some smokers in South Korea are becoming increasingly agitated about the tax hike due to come into effect on January 1.

A story by Lina Jang for Korea Bizwire has described how a few smokers have become violent when faced with empty shelves and government-imposed guidelines limiting the number of cigarettes they can buy.

The main trigger for such lawlessness has been the government’s decision to increase the prices of cigarettes hugely after 10 years without increases.

As was reported here yesterday, with the increase in place, KT&G’s brands such as Esse, The One and Raison will retail at WON4,500, up 80 percent from WON2,500 now. Lower-tier cigarettes including This, Hallasan and Lilac will retail for WON4,000, up 100 percent from WON2,000 now.

The Bizwire story said that growing numbers of smokers were rushing to nearby convenience stores with the apparent aim of building stocks of cigarettes as a cushion against the January 1 price hike.