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Smoking population grew in S Korea in 2009 

More South Korean adults smoked last year, with the smoking rate for adults in the second half of 2009 climbing up to 23.3 percent from 22.3 percent a year earlier, a government survey showed Tuesday.

The smoking rate among South Korean men stood at 43.1 percent at the end of the last year, up from 40.9 percent a year earlier, while the rate of female smokers inched down to 3.9 from 4.1 during the same period, according to Seoul's Ministry for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs.

Of the 3,000 people aged 19 and older who participated in the survey, 59.1 percent of the respondents said smoking has become a habit, and 32.6 percent cited stress as a reason for smoking.

At the same time, 68.8 percent of the respondents said they tried to quit smoking at least once, on health-related concerns.

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