It was the second highest among 34 member states of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
The comparable figure stands at an average of 25 percent for the OECD member countries.
The smoking rate among South Korean female adults also decreased from 4.6 percent to 4.0 percent during the 13-year period, according to the report of Statistics Korea.
In an effort to cut the country’s smoking rate, the National Assembly approved revision bills to raise tobacco prices by 2,000 won per pack starting Jan. 1, 2015.
The tobacco price hike is in line with the health and welfare ministry’s “Health Plan 2020” which calls for, among others. cutting the country’s smoking rate among men to 29 percent by 2020.
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
