According to OECD, 32% of Korean men over the age of 15 smoke daily, while only 3.5% of Korean women over the age of 15 smoke.

Why do you think that Koreans are more likely to smoke compared to other countries? Why is the gender gap in smoking rates is comparatively high in Korea? Let's find out. 

Gender And Smoking In Korea@News1

There is a significant difference in the number of Korean men and women who smoke. Due to the Korean society judging harshly on female smokers, female smokers often go to the bathroom and smokes to avoid the eyes of the public. There used to be a stack of cigarette butts in women's toilets in the past. 

Especially, when it comes to married women, they are more socially discouraged and restricted from smoking, while Korean women who do not feel restricted by social pressures (e.g., those who are divorced, married, unmarried, widowed, etc.) may smoke more frequently.

The smoking rate from the unmarried female population marked higher, which gives an idea of marriage may be a protective factor for many Korean women. 

Spotting someone smoking isn't a hard task to do in Korea. Due to the continuous issue rising of the smoking population, the Korean government introduced a series of regulations to reduce the smoking rate among the citizens. Not only do the laws restrict selling cigarettes to the minors, but they also restrict public smoking; they have created designated areas for smoking. If someone isn't smoking at the designated spot, you will be able to report them. 

Spotting someone smoking isn't a hard thing to do in Korea. The constant rise of the smoking population resulted in the Korean government introducing a new series of regulations to reduce the rate of smoking among citizens; not only restricting the laws of selling cigarettes to the minors, but also restricting public smoking. They have created designated areas for smoking. If you spot anyone smoking outside of the designated spot, you can report them! 

Smoking Scene On TV Broadcasting Is Prohibited

Since 2002, in consideration of the effect on the minors, the broadcasting station started to self-regulate the smoking scenes on TV.

Nowadays, you won't be able to spot smoking scenes from Korean dramas. Sometimes, the actors grab a cigarette from the cigarette pack but never start smoking. Since the government's laws and regulations have been reinforced, it is hard for the producers to include any smoking scenes.

Warning Texts On Cigarette Packaging

Since 1986, the warning texts on the cigarette box have been legally obligated. Also, the Korean government introduced a "photo warning display" that puts images that reminds the smokers of following diseases that can be caused by smoking. 

Reasons For Smoking

Smoking To Relieve Stress 

Koreans are always under pressure from society, schools, and the workplace; everyone has some type of stress. Interestingly, Koreans tend to learn how to smoke to relieve their stress. It's very common to spot office workers smoking in the smoking area during their lunchtime.

Learning How To Smoke From The Army 

One of the reasons why the smoking rate of Korean men overwhelmingly high is due to the conscription system. Having a chat with the members of the same unit during smoking used to be considered as one of the most important communications in the military. Moreover, until the end of 2008, the military offered a tax-free system to purchase designated cigarettes, so it was much more common for the soldiers to start smoking during their military service.

Many of my friends started smoking once they got enlisted in the military. During their time at the military service, some predecessors can ask, but forcefully, to smoke; and it is pretty hard to refuse their request since they were a newbie at that time. Saying NO to your predecessor is pretty tough in military culture.

Curiosity 

Another reason for Koreans start smoking is from peer pressure and their curiosity. Peer pressure makes the teens feel excluded from the friend group from avoiding smoking. Once they start smoking from their younger age, it gets even harder for them to quit their smoking habit once they grow up. 

Today, we have looked at how smoking culture is like in Korea. Have you spotted any differences from your home country?

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