Tobacco consumption is social in different countries in the world, for the nations of different cultures. It is social even in North Korea. As the latest statistical data state, about 45% of North Korean men are smokers. Possibly, this is not the final rate. It can just state that the number of smokers grows and people buy cheap cigarettes in larger volumes.
More than 4,569,000 adults and 167,000 youngsters in North Korea are daily consuming tobacco products. The approximate quantity of cigarettes, which are daily consumed by each smoker, is in average 12 cigarettes. The average age of a starting smoker is 23; these are mostly inhabitants of cities. Well, that does not mean that North Korean smokers live in urban areas only, farmers just consume lesser quantities of tobacco.

Smoking is a strong addiction in North Korea and one interesting phenomenon is stated there. No matter what political ideals the North Korean leaders, the population prefers cigarettes of foreign origin. North Korean prefer Western cigarette brands, they buy cheap cigarettes of the European, American as well as Chinese origin.

Political clashes are forgotten when people have a tobacco addiction. People want to buy cheap cigarettes of top quality and they do not remember where these cigarettes are originated from.
Tobacco unites the world as well as people who buy cigarettes to satisfy their needs in tobacco flavor. In North Korea, smokers buy cigarette, which are imported from abroad although they are distributed at pretty high prices.
Someone affirms that imported cigarettes are even used to bribe officials.
This is what we can neither state nor criticize, but the fact is the fact, people of North Korea love cigarettes like smokers around the world.
As for local smoking preferences, North Korean smokers prefer solid tobacco. “Light” and menthol cigarettes are not overspread there.
Well, smokers of different cultures have proper preferences. But all of them are united by the love to tobacco.