2nd topic of 22nd of Oct

Korea's cigarettes are the cheapest among 22 surveyed nations of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which is a major reason for the country's high smoking rate, the health ministry said Monday. Citing a recent European Union (EU) study on the price of the most popular tobacco brand in each of the 22 OECD countries, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said South Korea has the lowest cost at 2,500 won ($2.22) per pack.According to the study, Ireland posted the highest of 14,975 won, six times that of South Korea, followed by Britain with 11,525 won and France with 9,400 won, respectively. A separate survey conducted by the World Health Organization showed Korea's tobacco price in 2010 at 2,500 won as well, also the lowest among all 34 OECD countries.According to the EU study, South Korea's smoking rate was the second highest among OECD members. The economic body's 2009 survey showed that 44.3 percent of all males aged 15 and older smoke in South Korea, just trailing behind Greece's 46.3 percent.?Health ministry officials said there is an urgent need to hike up tobacco prices in order to lower the country's high smoking rate."The most effective anti-smoking measure is to raise cigarette prices," said Lim Jong-gyu, a ministry director. "With an increasing number of adolescents puffing away, it is crucial that the government increase tobacco prices."?Q Along with measuQes to hike up cigbarette prices, officials said they are pushing forward a long-stalled legislation of a bill that will require tobacco makers to print gruesome pictures of the physical harms of smoking on their packages. (Yonhap) Q1. Are you pros or cons about raising the price of tobbacco? Q2. Are there any side-effect if tobbacco price is raised? Q3. What do you think about smoking in public area and how about smoking at restaurants, pub, internet cafe, etc.? Q4. Why do people smoke tobbacco? Is it helpful to releave stress or useful when you are doing no.2?