[Intl-tobacco] Korea has highest percentage of youth smokers

[Robert Weissman]

It is hard to know exactly what this story means without knowing exactly
what it means in the survey for teens to be considered "smokers," but it
is worth pointing out that these numbers represent an astronomical leap
from the youth smoking rates before U.S. pressure forced the Korean market
to open to US and other tobacco multinationals.

-- 
Robert Weissman	<rob@essential.org>
Essential Information
P.O. Box 19405, Washington, DC 20036, USA
Tel: 1-202-387-8030
Fax: 1-202-234-5176
www.essential.org

Korea has highest percentage of youth smokers
by sohjung@koreaherald.co.kr
Source: Korea Herald, Thursday, 5/3/01

Korea has the highest percentage of youth smokers in the world, according
to a Ministry of Health and Welfare report released yesterday.

A survey published in the Ministry's monthly publication, "Health Guide,"
found that an average of 27.6 percent of Korean male high school students
smoke. The comparable figures in other countries are 8 percent in Japan,
23 percent in China, 16 percent in Australia and 3 percent in Singapore.

The survey also revealed that 10.7 percent of Korean female high school
students smoke, compared to 1.5 percent in Japan, 5 percent in China and
0.3 percent in Singapore.

The survey also said that an average of 7.4 percent male junior high
school students smoke, an increase of 4.1 times from figures in 1988.

The survey also said 3.2 percent of female junior high school students
smoke, 2.7 times higher than 1989 figures.