According to a report by Korea Daily TV on December 11, the Korean Society for Smoking Cessation bluntly stated that the price of cigarettes in South Korea should be increased.
Experts also said that such measures should be based on improving national health rather than simply collecting more taxes. The Korea Smoking Cessation Society advocated this policy at an academic conference on "The Status and Prospects of Tobacco Price Policy" held at Seoul National University School of Nursing.
Professor Cho Hong Joon, a teacher from the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Ulsan (and the former president of the Korean Society for Smoking Cessation) said: "It is expected that the government will increase the price of cigarettes after and before the election. Now the national treasury tax revenue is significantly insufficient. A fare increase is the simplest way to solve this problem, but the current fare increase plan will encounter a lot of opposition."
On the other hand, as the share of cigarette-type e-cigarettes (heated tobacco) increased from 2.2% in 2017 to 16.5% in the first half of 2022, cigarette sales revenue increased by 1.1% in the past three years (2020 to 2022) %, but the tax burden decreased from 12 trillion won to 11.8 trillion won.
The price of cigarettes is 4,500 won, which is only 63% of the overall average of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). It is 7 times lower than Australia, 6 times lower than New Zealand, and more than 4 times lower than the UK. In summary, Korean cigarette prices remain at a reasonable level and there is still room for growth.
These views stated by the Korean Society for Smoking Cessation show that Congress is paying great attention to tobacco price policy. The campaign to raise tobacco prices is expected to be in full swing next year.
