The number of men who smoke in what remains a comparative bastion of unfettered tobacco consumption has dwindled below 50 per cent for the first time, a South Korean survey suggests.

The ministry of health and welfare said Tuesday a Gallup Korea poll it commissioned asked 751 adult men across South Korea whether they smoked and heard that 49.2 per cent of them did. After peaking at 79.3 per cent in 1980, the number steadily declined. By 2003 the proportion had fallen below 60 per cent, to 56.7 per cent, rising to 57.8 per cent in September 2004 but declining more steeply afterwards to reach 52.3 per cent last year. The ministry attributes the decrease to continuously rising prices of cigarettes as well as more clinics helping smokers to quit and concerted anti-smoking campaigns. However, a survey of 774 women showed the proportion of smokers among them has started increasing again, reaching a 3.3 per cent this year, up from last December's 2.7 per cent. In a September 2004 survey, the figure was estimated at 4.8 per cent. (pi)