More Koreans were smoking last year than in 2008.
According to the Ministry for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs, the smoking rate for people aged 19 or older increased by 1 percentage point, going up to 23.3 percent at the end of last year.
The ministry surveyed 3,000 people by phone across the nation. The rate for males went up to 43.1 percent, from 40.9 percent, while that for females decreased to 3.9 percent from 4.1 percent over the same period.
Asked what caused them to smoke, 59.1 percent said they smoke due to their long-term habits and 32.6 percent pointed to stress.
Of those surveyed, 68.8 percent replied that they have attempted to quit smoking at least once.
In response to the rising smoking rate, the ministry plans to intensify anti-smoking efforts by designating more parks, hospitals and other public facilities as smoking-free areas.