W3 Billion to Be Spent for Non-Smoking Campaign
The government will spend 3 billion won this year for a non-smoking campaign aimed at youth, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said Monday.
According to a 2006 survey by the Korean Association of Smoking and Health, 5.3 percent of male students and 3.3 percent of female students in middle schools were smokers. A comparable figure was 20.7 percent for male high school students and 5.2 percent for females.
The largest part of the budget for the campaign will be spent for Gyeonggi Province with 146.4 million won, followed by Seoul with 145.8 million won.
``It is important to know about the dangers of smoking and eliminate smoking habits from a young age. With the given budget, we will hold various events for the non-smoking campaign, including drawing posters and lectures by celebrities,'' said an official at Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education.