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Korea’s anti-smoking efforts are not statistically supported, reducing their effectiveness. |
By Kim Tae-gyu
Staff Reporter
Ask bureaucrats about why there is discrepancy about the decreasing smoking rate and increasing tobacco consumption and you would, at least through a Sunday inquiry, receive a blank stare or improvised answers. This also reflects the level of Korea's anti-smoking efforts.
Here is a pop quiz. What is one issue that unifies both ruling and opposition parties but still makes little progress? Again, the answer is anti-smoking efforts.
The Korean Association of Smoking & Health said Sunday that the country's smoking rate headed south from 26.4 percent in 2005 to 24.1 percent in 2006 and 21.9 percent last year.
This sharply contrasts to Bank of Korea data, which shows that the overall expenditure on tobacco rose from 7.03 trillion won in 2005 to 7.5 trillion won in 2006 and 8.17 trillion won last year.
This means Koreans households channel up to 1.5 percent of their expenditure in purchasing cigarettes. Put otherwise, Koreans lit up a smoke about 100 billion times in 2008.
Experts came up with various explanations for the mystery such as the facts that foreigners are excluded from the smoking rate survey or smuggled tobacco is disappearing of late. But they struggle to explain the widening gap between the two figures.
Whatever the reason may be, lawmakers from both governing and opposition parties argue that the Seoul administration is lukewarm in its anti-smoking campaign.
``First and foremost, it's certain that more cigarettes are consumed here to ruin the health of the general public, both smokers and second-hand smokers,'' said Rep. Park Dae-hae of the governing Grand National Party.
``But the government's anti-smoking steps are limited compared to such countries as the United States, Canada, Taiwan, Australia and New Zealand possibly due to tax revenue,'' Park said.
His rationale: The government gains multi-billion dollars every year by taxing brisk tobacco sales. Hence, it is reluctant to be aggressive in curbing rising tobacco consumption as long as smoking rates go down.
Upside of 60 percent of cigarette prices are taxes.
Park said the relatively low tobacco prices, on which the ministries have great impact, seems to reveal a ``conflict of interest.''
Rep. Cho Kyoung-tae from the Democratic Party concurs with Park.
``In my view, the related ministries are more or less passive in their attempts at making people give up smoking. Possibly, tax revenues have been factored in,'' Cho said.
``Obviously, they are required to re-think about what they should focus on ― more tax income or the public's health,'' he said.
voc200@koreatimes.co.kr
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