Nine of 10 smokers vow to quit as New Year's resolution

An anti-smoking poster reads: smokers are three times more likely to have a stroke. / Korea Times file

Nine out of 10 smokers decided to stop smoking as part of their New Year’s resolutions, according to a poll.

The poll, which online retailer G Market conducted between Dec. 29 and Jan. 11, showed that 91 percent of smokers resolved to quit. Participants in the poll included 1,493 G Market customers who said they were smokers.

Seventy percent of them said they made the decision because of the tobacco price hike. As of the New Year, cigarette prices increased from 2,500 won to 4,500 won. Forty-three percent they would quit for health reasons.

Asked how they would quit smoking, 36 percent said they would just resist the urge to smoke.

Using smoking substitutes ranked second. Twenty-four percent of men said they would use electronic cigarettes as a substitute, while 28 percent of women said they would eat snacks and candy.

Only 14 percent of women said they would use electronic cigarettes.