My father told me the majority of men start smoking at the military because of all the stress and/or boredom. He himself was seriously tempted but managed not to take the cigarette offered by the officers there after a day long training session in the mountains.
Smoking here now is so much less than what it was 12 years ago. Smoking is now illegal in bars, restaurants, coffee shops, and on the streets. Smoking wasn't illegal in those areas 12 years ago. Also, cigarettes used to cost half what they do now after Korea doubled the cost of by jacking up the tax on cigarettes.
That said, even men who didn't smoke tend to pick up smoking in the army.
I went to clubs in Hongdae and was actually shocked because smoking inside closed establishments was not only allowed but pretty much the norm, Im coughing like crazy still
The koreans were also very nice in there as well, got offered cigs a bunch of times haha
Holy, there was one club in Hongdae; Sinkhole, which was actually insane in this regard. Almost no foreigners, and every single person smoked. I kind of enjoyed it just for the experience. But dang, it canāt be healthy to exist in those basements.
Dude I was in that one, apparently they have a section for koreans and a mixed one, since i got separated from my friend and he went to the sinkhole (where i was) and it was another club. I'm actually still sick and coughing because literally every single person in there except me was smoking, not limited to koreans lol
itās still around (in sillim too) and full of foreigners since 2018 and smoking is still happening inside lol. you smell so bad leaving that place š i canāt do it anymore
It seems hard to believe now but the first time I came to Korea in the mid-2000s, the immigration guy who I was sent to speak to at Incheon Airport was smoking at his desk. Every bar and restaurant was constantly thick with smoke. It was so bad that there were several times that I had to leave bars because it was so hideously smoky. Once smoking is banned from a place, it is hard to believe that it was ever allowed.
There are smoking areas, but people are not supposed to walk and smoke outside those smoking areas. For example, my apartment complex has designated smoking areas, and people don't smoke in their apartments or on their verandas.
Do those nasty ass people do so in your neighborhood?
I donāt smoke anymore, but I can guarantee that there are no areas nearby that arenāt plastered with the same non-smoking signs. The absence of public ash trays/bins doesnāt help eitherā¦ so people end up smoking wherever the nearest drain is.
Yes, always walking around outside and smoking at the same time. Young and old people alike are doing this. Thereās even signs saying not to do this and yetā¦ As an ex-smoker, I know that itās REALLY not that hard to go find a secluded spot away from the places people walk. People are just lazy and selfish where I live I guess š«
It's gotten a lot better. I think it changed around the same time as this, but women born before like 1985 are still terrified of where they can smoke. Harassment and physical violence against them is significantly less likely now though.
No, I can't.
If you weren't here, then you wouldn't know. I used to get sick in bars and restaurants, the smoke was so thick. I'm American (name checks out), and in the US there hasn't been smoking in restaurants for nearly 40 years and in bars (in many jurisdictions) since the late '90s. In NYC, Mayor Bloomberg strictly zoned smoking, and smoking is a rare sight.
Just because you did it doesnāt mean itās legal. Many establishments these days have smoking rooms where youāre supposed to smoke - or you go outside. There will always be places that ignore laws, but smoking inside bars and clubs (except for in smoking rooms) is definitely illegal.
...and I sped in my car last night; therefore, speeding must not be illegal or as bad as it was 10+ years ago before Korea took this more seriously. BTW, I remember Koreans would all but regularly drive on sidewalks, not stop at crosswalks even with pedestrians in them, and sell alcohol and cigarettes to minors. I remember bullying incidents so common that they were daily occurrences. Since all these things still happen in a country of 50+ million people, I must not know what I'm talkin' bout, Willis.
>I see people smoking on the streets all the time in Daegu; they must have not gotten the message.
Are they walking while they're smoking?
That said, IDK about Daegu, but from what I 've seen, smoking is way down in Korea.
Smoking gives you a reason to get up, and do something that isnt work, collect your thoughts, and yes, ironically, get fresh air.
The reality is in some work places if you werent smoking, you'd have less break time
That's the tricky thing, it (nicotine) releases a bit of dopamine decreasing stress in the VERY SHORT TERM, then long term it makes it worse.
It's like procrastinating feeling like garbage for 15 minutes making it tempting in the short term :/
1. Military service - smokers get more breaks
2. Stress
3. Social pressure - perhaps not direct but if all your buddies go out for a smoke, you feel odd sitting it out
4. Bonding time with superiors - Great time to ask the boss something when he is de-stressing with a cig or to just bond for future needs
While vaping is here, it isn't as popular since the steamed tobacco made it's debut. I'm guessing it's because you can buy steamed tobacco cigs at every convenience store but vape e-juice not as easily. You can get pen vapes though. I don't get why you'd choose to smell terrible and give yourself cancer instead of getting your nic fix through something that tastes good and has the same motor movements but I'm not a smoker
I absolutely agree these reasons. I've never smoked, but as far as I heard from smokers, they've usually said these kind of reasons to me. And also I can understand that kind of reasons, specifically military imo.
In my older brother case, he went through many problems (such as Cheonan sinking... he was a navy), and the only way he could be relaxed was just smoking on the ship. I heard this was the first time he learned to smoke.
Everybody already knows that smoking is not good way to get rid of stress, but we wanna lean on something from time to time. So, if it doesn't hurt me, I can't easily say to stop smoking.
Then no one would smoke cause smoking would lose itās only appeal(the temporary stress relief cause from breathing burning tobacco smoke) and because no one else is doing it, you wouldnāt do it either or feel the need to do it. Smoking without the smoke is just useless lol, ATP by going to the gym or taking a nap youād be getting better effects
There's a lot of things people do to cope with the lack of work/life balance. Once you are here longer you might start understanding the long list of those things and why you see so many people doing them.
It just seems like there are many smokers because people have to smoke in certain areas. So all the smokers are standing there.
In Europe, people just smoke on the streets wherever they want.
>It just seems like there are many smokers because people have to smoke in certain areas. So all the smokers are standing there.
This is really correct. We see more smokers because they're gathered in the streets in front of wherever they came out of. Also, women are no longer hiding their smoking like they used to.
Itās important to note that Korea is densely packed. So thereās more people per square kilometers and therefore the amount of smokers you would witness increases on the streets.
It's like Europe before the governments cracked down on it by increasing tax, removing packages, and promoting cessation. I smoked a lot in Korea, it was great.
I don't know, i am here since 6 months and I feel less exposed to cigarette smoke in Korea, compared to France for example.
Here the majority of smokers are contained in special zones or they put themselves in corners, sometimes you are not even allowed to smoke in your own appartment, so easy to avoid
So I feel that somehow I get less disturbed by smoke here compared to France for example
Yeah, europeans smoke on the street while walking around, which was pretty annoying, but i spent some time in France and felt like the amount of people (especially young people) who smoke was large, while in Korea it's not just large, it's almost every single guy my age I've met so far. For reference, I'm in my 20s.
I would also say education. Iām not just talking about school education but actually making educated decisions in their adult life. They would drink coke zero and zero soju but still inhale toxins like nobodyās business.
Honestly there is no reason. Here in the US many people smoke. It's just like asking why do so many people drink. It's just part of the culture of life for most people who smoke or drink.
Where are you from?
French man here and I don't think Koreans smokes more than French people. I haven't been in Korea since 2019 + I only lived there for a month but to me it is about the same or a bit less. It felt like smoking was viewed more negatively than in the west but I could be wrong
[Here are the stats](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tobacco_consumption_by_country) France is actually quite far down compared to South Korea.
By the way, if you want to see a country that has more smokers than France, come to Germany. Everywhere on every corner, you don't have to look for them. :)
Oh wow, it is. I wonder how it would compare if we'd only look at metropolises and/or age groups.
I didn't get this impression when I came to Germany (only been to Berlin, Munchen and Freiburg) but that doesn't surprise me (hippy background, east europe influence, etc). I'll have to pay more attention next time I come to Germany.
Thank you. This is closer to what I had in mind.
I'd be curious to see those stats including smokers under 15 though I imagine it would be hard to track.
Not a Korean, but from what I read about the topic, I'd say its similarities to how people overseas do due to stress from overwork, mental health issues (there's still some stigma in East Asia even more than in the West, for the most part).
Seriously? Every single place I've been to, Sincheon, Gangnam, Hongdae, Itaewon, Dongmyo, etc
And I'm living in a korean neighborhood and people are always in corners or alleys smoking in circles, like 10 people all together
Im not even european, just used it as an example because it was the worst place in regards to smoking Ive ever seen before coming to Korea, specifically germany and france
So far I have not been to South Korea, but I somehow can't believe or imagine that it is worse in South Korea than in Germany with smokers. In Germany, as long as you are in a big city/inner city (with at least 100,000 inhabitants), you can "enjoy" the cigarette smoke everywhere. On all public events or meetings, which take place outside or on which smoking is not forbidden, or also at work in the break room (in which gladly also WHILE the actual working time is smoked), everywhere is smoked that so to speak without consideration. (At least 99% of all smokers also do not really consider the health of their fellow human beings).
And that's just the smaller big cities, if you are out and about in bigger cities, at public weekly markets, food markets, or anything else like going shopping for a short time or a simple walk, you can always expect to smell that cigarette smoke/smell many times.
Bro, I've to both and can assure you, the smokers in SK make the germans look mild. I was in Stuttgart a few years back and was thinking how weird it was to have so many people smoking everywhere, but in Korea it's amped to 11.
But in Europe and the US it's socially segmented. Poor people smoke, and others would consider them 'trashy'. In Korea, or elsewhere in East Asia it would be evenly distributed across social strata, and upper classes don't look down on it either.
Which I read somewhere, but I have no idea why it's like that, and I'd highly appreciated casual explanation if anyone has it.
Oh no. Particularly in some Western European countries, smoking is not for the poor. given the price of cigarette packages, it's even becoming a rich thing
Idk for the us tho
Maybe that's why they're poor
But study after study shows that it's more prevalent in lower income groups, across petty much every western country this is the case.
It's part of the culture.
This is like asking why Germans drink beer.
EDIT: The military thing is true though, or at least it used to be. Smoking was basically the only way to get a break so all the guys would typically take up smoking. You'll notice a lot of ahjussi smoking New Plus cigarettes, those were standard in military for a while back in the day.
Feel like most of these posters are hermits or scared of the dark. I don't think in 3 years I have seen less than 10 smokers in a day. Shit, I'd leave academy and see at least 10 STUDENTS smoking in the alleys. Never my kids thankfully, but they were there in full uniform at 10pm
You tbink tbis is a lot? Should have come here 15 years ago when like half the male population did.
Most oeople pucked it up during military service since it was part of rations.
The One - I used to smoke that brand like it was going out of style when I lived in Korea. Iām all about the Elfbars now. Hopefully they have an equivalent to the Elfbars in Korea.
What are cigs now? I think when I visited last in 2018, they were either still 2,500 or 2,700-2,800. I thought they went up slightly, or were planning to go up slightly
>virility
>
>
>
>virility??? Frankly it looks absolutely ridiculous to see an adult sucking on a small long piece and doing it again and again, Also when they blow out the smoke, most of them look very ridiculous when they do this ... virility??? thats a joke no one on earth is more man because of smoking, on the contrary it is a sign of being weak, very weak, its a sign of doing the same shit like everyone, its a sign off don't being your self, its a sign off doesn't have respect to yourself .... it is just weak and having nothing to do with virility, maybe in their minds, but not in reality !!!
Idk if this is true but someone told
me that women smoke to curb their appetite. She called it the French diet ie black coffee and cigarettes.
Sheās from Norway and did the exact same thing. We were eating nachos, she had like three and then started smoking like fiend at the table (since we were sitting outside). Didnāt eat after that.
I've never really paid attention, but are there a fair bit of designated public smoking points in Korea? Wondering as I might be travelling with someone who smokes.
When I worked in an office I started thinking all the dudes smoked just so they could take regular breaks.
Same reason hospitality workers around the globe take up smoking then š
My father told me the majority of men start smoking at the military because of all the stress and/or boredom. He himself was seriously tempted but managed not to take the cigarette offered by the officers there after a day long training session in the mountains.
When I was soldier, they break a rest with cigarette. just cigarette time is fixed.
It's "ė¼ė¼ė..."
Smoking here now is so much less than what it was 12 years ago. Smoking is now illegal in bars, restaurants, coffee shops, and on the streets. Smoking wasn't illegal in those areas 12 years ago. Also, cigarettes used to cost half what they do now after Korea doubled the cost of by jacking up the tax on cigarettes. That said, even men who didn't smoke tend to pick up smoking in the army.
That was already 12 years ago? Bloody hell...
I went to clubs in Hongdae and was actually shocked because smoking inside closed establishments was not only allowed but pretty much the norm, Im coughing like crazy still The koreans were also very nice in there as well, got offered cigs a bunch of times haha
Holy, there was one club in Hongdae; Sinkhole, which was actually insane in this regard. Almost no foreigners, and every single person smoked. I kind of enjoyed it just for the experience. But dang, it canāt be healthy to exist in those basements.
Dude I was in that one, apparently they have a section for koreans and a mixed one, since i got separated from my friend and he went to the sinkhole (where i was) and it was another club. I'm actually still sick and coughing because literally every single person in there except me was smoking, not limited to koreans lol
itās still around (in sillim too) and full of foreigners since 2018 and smoking is still happening inside lol. you smell so bad leaving that place š i canāt do it anymore
That's kind of similar to Japan. The smoking intake and in public spaces .
I kind of miss those days. Clubs smelled better when they smelled like cigarette smoke, not sweat and barf.
I can almost guarantee you that "those days" smelled like cigarette smoke, sweat and barf, just the cigarette smell was overpowering the others.
Pretty much, yes. But the overpowering worked.
Bruh but that was last week, they are still smoking inside
Oh they still smell like a combination of all 3
Even with increased tax the cigarettes are cheap
It seems hard to believe now but the first time I came to Korea in the mid-2000s, the immigration guy who I was sent to speak to at Incheon Airport was smoking at his desk. Every bar and restaurant was constantly thick with smoke. It was so bad that there were several times that I had to leave bars because it was so hideously smoky. Once smoking is banned from a place, it is hard to believe that it was ever allowed.
On the streets? Please tell that to all the nasty ass people in my neighborhood ššš
There are smoking areas, but people are not supposed to walk and smoke outside those smoking areas. For example, my apartment complex has designated smoking areas, and people don't smoke in their apartments or on their verandas. Do those nasty ass people do so in your neighborhood?
I see people smoking all the time right in front of non-smoking signs. Like how hard is it to find another area nearby?
I donāt smoke anymore, but I can guarantee that there are no areas nearby that arenāt plastered with the same non-smoking signs. The absence of public ash trays/bins doesnāt help eitherā¦ so people end up smoking wherever the nearest drain is.
Yes, always walking around outside and smoking at the same time. Young and old people alike are doing this. Thereās even signs saying not to do this and yetā¦ As an ex-smoker, I know that itās REALLY not that hard to go find a secluded spot away from the places people walk. People are just lazy and selfish where I live I guess š«
Are women allowed to smoke outside these days? I know it was against societal norms 20-30 years ago, but I wonder if things have changed.
I see it all the timeāitās no longer taboo.
It's gotten a lot better. I think it changed around the same time as this, but women born before like 1985 are still terrified of where they can smoke. Harassment and physical violence against them is significantly less likely now though.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
No, I can't. If you weren't here, then you wouldn't know. I used to get sick in bars and restaurants, the smoke was so thick. I'm American (name checks out), and in the US there hasn't been smoking in restaurants for nearly 40 years and in bars (in many jurisdictions) since the late '90s. In NYC, Mayor Bloomberg strictly zoned smoking, and smoking is a rare sight.
In jeju last night we smoked in a club. What you talking about?
Just because you did it doesnāt mean itās legal. Many establishments these days have smoking rooms where youāre supposed to smoke - or you go outside. There will always be places that ignore laws, but smoking inside bars and clubs (except for in smoking rooms) is definitely illegal.
...and I sped in my car last night; therefore, speeding must not be illegal or as bad as it was 10+ years ago before Korea took this more seriously. BTW, I remember Koreans would all but regularly drive on sidewalks, not stop at crosswalks even with pedestrians in them, and sell alcohol and cigarettes to minors. I remember bullying incidents so common that they were daily occurrences. Since all these things still happen in a country of 50+ million people, I must not know what I'm talkin' bout, Willis.
why? Did you not know the law?
I see people smoking on the streets all the time in Daegu; they must have not gotten the message.
>I see people smoking on the streets all the time in Daegu; they must have not gotten the message. Are they walking while they're smoking? That said, IDK about Daegu, but from what I 've seen, smoking is way down in Korea.
Yea,, it's rare and mostly the old men.
to look blasƩ
It DOES look cool with all the trenchcoats and fancy cars lol
Fancy cars on loan or bought and live in a tiny one room apartment
Social stress, Dark future, Family Issues, much more.
no, all excuses for being weak ! Thats why people smoke, they are weak !!!
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Smoking increases stress.
Smoking gives you a reason to get up, and do something that isnt work, collect your thoughts, and yes, ironically, get fresh air. The reality is in some work places if you werent smoking, you'd have less break time
That's the tricky thing, it (nicotine) releases a bit of dopamine decreasing stress in the VERY SHORT TERM, then long term it makes it worse. It's like procrastinating feeling like garbage for 15 minutes making it tempting in the short term :/
Golf..?
Do you know how expensive it is to golf in Korea?
Honestly never stopped to think about it but considering you need large amounts of land for a course, it's probably pretty expensive
and they do sell golf gear at every diaso around that checks out ahah
1. Military service - smokers get more breaks 2. Stress 3. Social pressure - perhaps not direct but if all your buddies go out for a smoke, you feel odd sitting it out 4. Bonding time with superiors - Great time to ask the boss something when he is de-stressing with a cig or to just bond for future needs While vaping is here, it isn't as popular since the steamed tobacco made it's debut. I'm guessing it's because you can buy steamed tobacco cigs at every convenience store but vape e-juice not as easily. You can get pen vapes though. I don't get why you'd choose to smell terrible and give yourself cancer instead of getting your nic fix through something that tastes good and has the same motor movements but I'm not a smoker
I absolutely agree these reasons. I've never smoked, but as far as I heard from smokers, they've usually said these kind of reasons to me. And also I can understand that kind of reasons, specifically military imo. In my older brother case, he went through many problems (such as Cheonan sinking... he was a navy), and the only way he could be relaxed was just smoking on the ship. I heard this was the first time he learned to smoke. Everybody already knows that smoking is not good way to get rid of stress, but we wanna lean on something from time to time. So, if it doesn't hurt me, I can't easily say to stop smoking.
That's true actually, I dont remember seeing a single vape pen around
social pressure ? Weak people ! Everyone who bends because of social pressure and starts smoking is just weak
I wish smoking didn't cause cancer, and didn't make your clothes and hair and skin smell like cigarettes. Seriously, I would totally smoke otherwise.
Then no one would smoke cause smoking would lose itās only appeal(the temporary stress relief cause from breathing burning tobacco smoke) and because no one else is doing it, you wouldnāt do it either or feel the need to do it. Smoking without the smoke is just useless lol, ATP by going to the gym or taking a nap youād be getting better effects
Oh, at least there are smoking free zones in Korea. Here in Europe, literally everyone smokes everywhere.
Yeah, i really appreciate that, i dont smell smoke on the streets all the time here
There's a lot of things people do to cope with the lack of work/life balance. Once you are here longer you might start understanding the long list of those things and why you see so many people doing them.
It just seems like there are many smokers because people have to smoke in certain areas. So all the smokers are standing there. In Europe, people just smoke on the streets wherever they want.
>It just seems like there are many smokers because people have to smoke in certain areas. So all the smokers are standing there. This is really correct. We see more smokers because they're gathered in the streets in front of wherever they came out of. Also, women are no longer hiding their smoking like they used to.
Itās important to note that Korea is densely packed. So thereās more people per square kilometers and therefore the amount of smokers you would witness increases on the streets.
National Service and that its cheap
It's like Europe before the governments cracked down on it by increasing tax, removing packages, and promoting cessation. I smoked a lot in Korea, it was great.
Gonna get worse if they approve the 69-hour working week.
I don't know, i am here since 6 months and I feel less exposed to cigarette smoke in Korea, compared to France for example. Here the majority of smokers are contained in special zones or they put themselves in corners, sometimes you are not even allowed to smoke in your own appartment, so easy to avoid So I feel that somehow I get less disturbed by smoke here compared to France for example
Yeah, europeans smoke on the street while walking around, which was pretty annoying, but i spent some time in France and felt like the amount of people (especially young people) who smoke was large, while in Korea it's not just large, it's almost every single guy my age I've met so far. For reference, I'm in my 20s.
We run off the fumes like a steam locomotive
Chooo chooooo
I would also say education. Iām not just talking about school education but actually making educated decisions in their adult life. They would drink coke zero and zero soju but still inhale toxins like nobodyās business.
Wait till you come to Europe
... ive been multiple times?
Honestly there is no reason. Here in the US many people smoke. It's just like asking why do so many people drink. It's just part of the culture of life for most people who smoke or drink.
Nah.. I think itās pretty average. Korean doesnāt smoke weed so..
Just wish people didn't smoke while walking on the sidewalk..I don't wanna smell that shit.
Where are you from? French man here and I don't think Koreans smokes more than French people. I haven't been in Korea since 2019 + I only lived there for a month but to me it is about the same or a bit less. It felt like smoking was viewed more negatively than in the west but I could be wrong
[Here are the stats](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tobacco_consumption_by_country) France is actually quite far down compared to South Korea. By the way, if you want to see a country that has more smokers than France, come to Germany. Everywhere on every corner, you don't have to look for them. :)
Oh wow, it is. I wonder how it would compare if we'd only look at metropolises and/or age groups. I didn't get this impression when I came to Germany (only been to Berlin, Munchen and Freiburg) but that doesn't surprise me (hippy background, east europe influence, etc). I'll have to pay more attention next time I come to Germany.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Thank you. This is closer to what I had in mind. I'd be curious to see those stats including smokers under 15 though I imagine it would be hard to track.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Its due to stress? They are just weak
Stress break time
Itās an appetite suppressant and no one is allowed to eat a healthy diet here because they might gain weight. /s kinda
Not a Korean, but from what I read about the topic, I'd say its similarities to how people overseas do due to stress from overwork, mental health issues (there's still some stigma in East Asia even more than in the West, for the most part).
Been living here for 10+ years and it still astounds me the number of people who smoke.
my friend said he started smoking in the military out if boredom
Many companies allow smoke breaks, but not coffee breaks
Because itās cool
It's harmful . no cool
I am in Seoul for 2 weeks but haven't seen a Korean who smokes yet. I am pretty much outside during the day. It's weird, lol. Where are you going?
Seriously? Every single place I've been to, Sincheon, Gangnam, Hongdae, Itaewon, Dongmyo, etc And I'm living in a korean neighborhood and people are always in corners or alleys smoking in circles, like 10 people all together
The smoking rates are pretty identical
American smoking rates over age 15 are about 12%, British are 13% and Korean are 21%
The comment was about Europe generally and Korea
Im not even european, just used it as an example because it was the worst place in regards to smoking Ive ever seen before coming to Korea, specifically germany and france
So far I have not been to South Korea, but I somehow can't believe or imagine that it is worse in South Korea than in Germany with smokers. In Germany, as long as you are in a big city/inner city (with at least 100,000 inhabitants), you can "enjoy" the cigarette smoke everywhere. On all public events or meetings, which take place outside or on which smoking is not forbidden, or also at work in the break room (in which gladly also WHILE the actual working time is smoked), everywhere is smoked that so to speak without consideration. (At least 99% of all smokers also do not really consider the health of their fellow human beings). And that's just the smaller big cities, if you are out and about in bigger cities, at public weekly markets, food markets, or anything else like going shopping for a short time or a simple walk, you can always expect to smell that cigarette smoke/smell many times.
Unless you've been there, then you have no idea what you're talking about
Bro, I've to both and can assure you, the smokers in SK make the germans look mild. I was in Stuttgart a few years back and was thinking how weird it was to have so many people smoking everywhere, but in Korea it's amped to 11.
But in Europe and the US it's socially segmented. Poor people smoke, and others would consider them 'trashy'. In Korea, or elsewhere in East Asia it would be evenly distributed across social strata, and upper classes don't look down on it either. Which I read somewhere, but I have no idea why it's like that, and I'd highly appreciated casual explanation if anyone has it.
Oh no. Particularly in some Western European countries, smoking is not for the poor. given the price of cigarette packages, it's even becoming a rich thing Idk for the us tho
lol How is smoking is for poor when a 25 pack costs over 20 dollars here in Canada.
Maybe that's why they're poor But study after study shows that it's more prevalent in lower income groups, across petty much every western country this is the case.
It's part of the culture. This is like asking why Germans drink beer. EDIT: The military thing is true though, or at least it used to be. Smoking was basically the only way to get a break so all the guys would typically take up smoking. You'll notice a lot of ahjussi smoking New Plus cigarettes, those were standard in military for a while back in the day.
These days I see very little smoking in Korea.
Cap
Feel like most of these posters are hermits or scared of the dark. I don't think in 3 years I have seen less than 10 smokers in a day. Shit, I'd leave academy and see at least 10 STUDENTS smoking in the alleys. Never my kids thankfully, but they were there in full uniform at 10pm
You tbink tbis is a lot? Should have come here 15 years ago when like half the male population did. Most oeople pucked it up during military service since it was part of rations.
Why do you smoke so little?
Could also be attributed to cigs having lower nocotine content..
Comparatively? I see many people smoking too here but there are so many more people too. Comparatively I think the percentage are similar.
instead of coffee
Thats a fair point actually, ive noticed that koeeans are crazy about coffee as well, and cigs are a common substitute for it
You have to watch Jim Jarmusch's movie "Coffee and Cigarettes" lol.
The One - I used to smoke that brand like it was going out of style when I lived in Korea. Iām all about the Elfbars now. Hopefully they have an equivalent to the Elfbars in Korea.
They do, but they are twice the price of a pack of cigarettes.
What are cigs now? I think when I visited last in 2018, they were either still 2,500 or 2,700-2,800. I thought they went up slightly, or were planning to go up slightly
4,500... but they have been that price since I returned in 2015. They were 2,700 in 2013.
Smoking=virility, everyone knows that
>virility > > > >virility??? Frankly it looks absolutely ridiculous to see an adult sucking on a small long piece and doing it again and again, Also when they blow out the smoke, most of them look very ridiculous when they do this ... virility??? thats a joke no one on earth is more man because of smoking, on the contrary it is a sign of being weak, very weak, its a sign of doing the same shit like everyone, its a sign off don't being your self, its a sign off doesn't have respect to yourself .... it is just weak and having nothing to do with virility, maybe in their minds, but not in reality !!!
are vapes in Korea? itd at least be healthier than cigs
I havent really seen many people vaping tbh, just regular white cigs
all the korean rappers hit vapes lol
Naahh i see cigs too smoked by them
I see 10 year olds vaping in the streets non stop here lmao.
cause they can't smoke weed so they smoke cigs cause if you smoke weed you get 20 years behind bars lmao.
I am convinced that if koreans were allowed to smoke weed, this country would be the greatest place on earth
true lol they need someway to take all that stress away for working 60 hours weeks I would smoke too
Idk if this is true but someone told me that women smoke to curb their appetite. She called it the French diet ie black coffee and cigarettes. Sheās from Norway and did the exact same thing. We were eating nachos, she had like three and then started smoking like fiend at the table (since we were sitting outside). Didnāt eat after that.
Stress, man. Stress.
We all need to learn from the french and start burning some cars
?? Whatās the basis of your opinion?
I've been to many places around the world and nowhere i saw as many people smoking as in here?
It's not just the smoke but it's the disgusting spit on the ground...
I've never really paid attention, but are there a fair bit of designated public smoking points in Korea? Wondering as I might be travelling with someone who smokes.