Busan, South Korea
Data released by South Korea’s ministry of economy and finance shows that cigarette sales grew by 5.6% in the first nine months of this year, compared to the same period last year, while sales of vapor-based e-cigarettes plunged 92.5%. Sales of heat-not-burn products saw an incremental 0.7% rise.
In the January-September period of 2020, South Koreans bought 2.75 billion 20-cigarette packs, compared to 2.6 billion packs in the same period last year.
The drop in e-cigarette sales may be due to the government’s efforts in strongly advising people not to use e-cigarettes, warning that the products could cause serious lung illness or death.