Cigarette sales down 1.6 pct in H1 on campaign, higher prices

SEOUL, July 17 (Yonhap) -- Sales of cigarettes in South Korea declined 1.6 percent in the first six months of the year from a year earlier due to a government-led anti-smoking campaign and higher prices, data showed Tuesday.

South Korean smokers purchased 1.68 billion 20-cigarette packs in the first half of the year, compared with the previous year's 1.71 billion packs, according to data compiled by the finance ministry.

Starting in January 2015, South Korea increased the price of cigarettes by 80 percent, from 2,500 won (US$2.25) per pack to 4,500 won, in an effort to curb smoking.

In 2016, South Korea mandated that tobacco companies put graphic warnings on the upper part of both sides of cigarette packs in a move to reduce smoking.

Meanwhile, the government collected a total of 5.5 trillion won in taxes from cigarette sales in the January-June period, up 1.5 percent from the previous year's 5.4 trillion won, the data showed.

sam@yna.co.kr
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