Price doesn't scare teenage smokers

By Ko Dong-hwan

Some 20 percent of Korean teenage smokers said they will not quit smoking regardless of high cigarette prices, a study showed Saturday. The findings suggest that other means are necessary to induce the young to quit smoking.

Yonsei University conducted the survey with 7,094 teenage smokers in 2013. The survey revealed that 20 percent of the boys and 25 percent of the girls said that price is not going to stop them from smoking.

The cigarette price hike was led by new policies in 2015 to pressure smokers into quitting smoking. But the findings showed that many teens were not inclined to stop regardless of the price.

"The impact of cigarette prices on smoking is insignificant considering the financial resources of teens," the researchers reported. "This shows that in order for anti-smoking policies to succeed, the authorities must conduct counseling and education alongside the price hike."

The nation implemented the new law that increased the average price of a pack of cigarettes by 2,000 won ($1.72) by adding a special excise tax and other indirect taxes on cigarettes. Detractors, however, argued that this won’t decrease smoking but only put an extra burden on consumers.