Why Do Koreans Fail to Stop Smoking?

Cigarette, a Singing Siren
1518 Jinny “Gotta cigarette?” Only about ten years ago in Korea, people can hear this easily on the streets, and nobody thinks it’s weird or bad. However, nowadays, people know how virulent the smoking is for their body. Therefore, many Koreans decided not to smoke, but only a few people succeed. Why? Koreans fail to stop smoking because of easy exposure to smoking, lack of supporting system and stress of work. First, Koreans are easily exposed to the cigarettes while they stop smoking. For people who decide to stop cigarettes, only slight smell of the cigarettes can be intolerable temptation. Therefore, they try to avoid the smell. However, many smokers smoke on the streets, in the bar or at the parking lot. Even their friends smoke next to them. Likewise, exposures to cigarettes are too common to Koreans, which make them weak and finally start to smoke again. Moreover, Korea does not have a good supporting system for people who decide to stop smoking. For now, only some of the public health centers give nicotine patches to only some people. Korean government does not support the people who decide not to smoke. In contrast, Germany had been working the world’s biggest smoke-free policy. As the result of the policy, Germany’s smoking rate is only 22.3% while Korea’s smoking rate is 44.7%. (EU Exercise Duty on Tobacco, OECD, Korean Department of Health Care’s Research on 2010) Korea’s weak supporting system is one of the causes of failure on quitting smoking. Furthermore, Koreans try to release their stress by smoking. Cigarettes can put people in excited state in a short time. Koreans do not have enough time to get some rest while they are working. Therefore, they must release their stress in a brief time, and smoking can do so. In fact, the recent research reported that stress is the number one reason for smoking again. (Korean Public Health Center’s research on 2008~2009) Stress is a big reason why people fail to stop smoking. Koreans lose their wars with cigarettes due to being exposed to cigarettes, lack of government’s support, and their working stress. In Greek mythology, there is a story about Siren. Siren is a beautiful half-woman, half-birdlike creatures who sang such sweet songs that listeners forgot everything and died of hunger. She lures sailors to their death. Only Odysseus escaped from them by filling his ears with wax. Cigarette is the modern version of Siren. It is so sweet and addictive but it can lead people to death. People who decide to stop smoking should also become Odysseuses, who can survive in Siren’s island.