Korean Sales Fall for First Time in Years

South Korean cigarette sales fell in 2023 for the first time in four years, reports Yonhap News Agency, citing data from the finance ministry. Electronic cigarette demand, however, grew.

Last year, South Koreans purchased 3.61 billion cigarette packs, down 0.6 percent from 2022, the first on-year decrease since 2019’s 0.7 percent fall. 

Sales of duty-free cigarettes increased 60.7 percent in 2023 in line with an increase in post-pandemic tourists.

Traditional cigarette sales fell 2.8 percent, but heat-not-burn electronic cigarettes increased 12.6 percent.

Last year, electronic cigarettes accounted for 16.9 percent of total sales, an increase from 12.4 percent in 2021.