According to Ministry of Strategy and Finance, sales of cigarettes in South Korea rose despite the government‘s push to print graphic health warnings on the outside of packages.

About 305 million 20-pack cigarettes were sold in April. Monthly sales had been on a decline in the beginning of the year, with 280 million packs sold in January and 238 million packs in February, as the South Korean government intensified its anti-smoking campaign in late 2016.