The smoking rate among South Korean men aged 19 or older fell last year to below 40 percent; the first time that it has fallen this low, according to a Yonhap News Agency story citing the results of a survey published on Wednesday.
The survey by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that the proportion of men who smoke stood at 39.3 percent in 2017, down by 1.3 percentage points on that of the previous year.
The survey was conducted among 228,381 adults.
The smoking rate has generally fallen steadily since 2008, when it stood at 47.8 percent, to 2015, when it stood at 40.6 percent.
The rate moved up to 40.7 percent in 2016 following a drop a year earlier due to a hike in cigarette prices.
In January 2015, South Korea increased the price of cigarettes by 80 percent, from 2,500 won (US$2.25) per pack to 4,500 won.
In 2016, the government required tobacco companies to include graphic warnings on 30 percent of the upper parts of both of the main faces of cigarette packs.
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