The Strategic Targeting of Females by Transnational Tobacco Companies in South Korea Following Trade Liberalisation

In 1988 South Korea opened its cigarette market to foreign companies under thethreat of US trade sanctions. Despite strong social stigma against female smoking in South Korea,and restrictions on tobacco marketing to women and children, smoking rates among young Koreanfemales increased from 1.6% in 1988 to 13% in 1998. Previous analyses describe how Asiancountries have been targeted by transnational tobacco companies for new markets, with Asianfemales offering substantial future growth potential. An understanding of the strategies used byTTCs to increase smoking among Korean females is critical to public health efforts to adopt astronger gender perspective in implementing the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.