Cigarette sales on the rebound

Cigarette sales in South Korea during the first half of this year were up by 14 percent on those of the first sixth months of 2015, which were negatively affected by a huge price increase on January 1, 2015, according to a story in The Korea Herald citing Nielson data.

More than 35.3 billion cigarettes were said to have been sold during the first half of this year compared to 31.0 billion during the first six months of 2015 and 40.0 billion during the first half of 2014.

On January 1, 2015, an excise tax increase took the average price of cigarettes from 2,500 won per pack to 4,500 won per pack.

The Herald story suggested that the half-year figures indicated that cigarette consumption could return to its pre-January 2015 level.

However, according to a Yonhap News Agency story, in May the Ministry of Health and Welfare reported that the smoking rate among South Koreans aged 19 or older had dropped to 39.3 percent last year from 43.1 percent in 2014.

Last year marked the first time that South Korea’s smoking rate had fallen below 40 percent.