South Korea is considering higher cigarette prices as conventional smoking rates continue to decline, according to The Seoul Economic Daily. The share of adults who smoke cigarettes fell to 17% in 2025 from 23.9% in 2016, according to the 2025 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey released Sept. 30 by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. The smoking rate was 28% among men and 5.5% among women. The decline accelerated after the government raised the price of a pack to 4,500 won ($3.33) in 2015 from 2,500 won ($1.85).
South Korea’s Ministry of Health and Welfare has included raising cigarette prices toward the OECD average as a medium- to long-term goal in its 6th National Health Promotion Master Plan for 2026-2030. Analysts say cigarette prices have since failed to keep pace with inflation, with consumer prices rising 22.8% since 2015 while cigarette prices remained unchanged. The average cigarette price across the 38 OECD member countries was 9,869 won ($7.30) in 2023, more than twice South Korea’s price.
