Nathan was an athletic Native American who enjoyed dancing. He never smoked in his whole life. For 11 years, he worked at a casino where smoking was allowed. He was easily exposed to secondhand smoke, causing allergies and diseases. These diseases soon caused permanent lung damage called bronchiectasis. His condition deteriorated day by day, leading him to leave the job. He later passed away at the age of 54 due to serious lung damage. Banning cigarettes has been a controversial issue for a long time. Many countries, including Korea, have implemented a smoking ban in public places, but not many are banning the sales completely. Some say that we should respect people’s rights and choices and that smoking would not cause much harm, but this is wrong. Smoking should be banned completely, especially in Korea, where smoking is popular.
Smoking can cause many health problems. According to the CDC, smoking causes numerous diseases including cancer, heart disease, strokes, lung damage, and diabetes. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, over 58,000 people die annually due to smoking in Korea. This data clearly shows the severity and danger of smoking. However, not only will it be unhealthy for those smoking, but secondhand smokers will also be harmed. According to the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, the exposure to secondhand smoke was 36.2% and 18.5% each for men and women. When a smoker smokes, he or she only inhales 25% of the smoke, while the other 75% is released into the air. This means that secondhand smokers are more severely affected by smoking than the smoker themselves. According to the CDC, secondhand smokers can experience a 30% increase in their risk of developing heart disease or cancer. If smoking is banned, we can prevent diseases and deaths of both smokers and those exposed to secondhand smoke.
Another reason why smoking should be banned in Korea is that it causes environmental issues. A major factor contributing to environmental issues is cigarettes; they pollute the environment when they are thrown away. According to research conducted by the Korean Ministry of Environment, 12,000,000 cigarettes are thrown away every day, and 450,000 to 2,300,000 of these enter the sea. The study also states that over 90% of cigarettes consist of plastic. When the cigarettes enter the ocean, they break down into microplastic particles, also polluting the ocean and damaging the ecosystem. In addition, cigarettes release carbon dioxide, causing air pollution and adding to global warming.
Finally, banning smoking can reduce medical costs. Smoking can cause many severe diseases, many of them costing a lot of money to cure. In the case of cancer, it costs more than KRW10 million of medical care from getting diagnosed to receiving healthcare. The National Health Insurance of Korea spends over KRW2 trillion on smoking-related diseases. Due to smoking-related issues, the Korean government has an annual loss of over KRW3 trillion, which is a tremendous amount of money. If a smoking ban is implemented, the number of diseases and health issues will naturally decrease, and the government would not have to spend as much money on healthcare. Instead, they could use it in ways such as developing the nation and providing help and healthcare to the less fortunate and patients.
Some say that banning smoking is unnecessary and disadvantageous as it takes away people’s freedom and is not effective. They argue that people have the choice and right to smoke if they would like. In addition, they believe that people will continue smoking. Although this might be true, the advantages clearly outweigh the disadvantages. Banning smoking will increase longevity and benefit the health of people, the environment, and the government. The WHO states that smoking kills half of its users, and that it can cause severe lung damage. Also, will people take the risk to violate the law just to fulfill their urge to smoke? When there is a punishment implemented, people will naturally avoid smoking. So, there is a low chance of this occurring.
A complete smoking ban in Korea is a controversial issue in Korea. Korea has already made efforts to mitigate the impacts of smoking, such as increasing non-smoking areas and increasing cigarette prices. Now is the time for Korea to continue and completely ban smoking in the country. It will bring about a safer and healthier society for both individuals and the environment. Therefore, the South Korean government should implement a smoking ban to benefit the nation.
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