Help to stop smoking
Getting help succeeds far more often than willpower alone.
What help is available
- Public health centre smoking cessation clinics — counselling, cessation aids, regular check-ins. Generally free.
- Quitline 1544-9030 — phone counselling and follow-up.
- Clinic-based cessation treatment — health insurance supports a programme; ask at a clinic.
- Cessation camps — intensive programmes for heavy smokers.
- Workplace support — some companies and the NHIS run programmes.
How to start
- Set a quit date.
- Register at a health centre clinic or call 1544-9030.
- Get rid of cigarettes, lighters and ashtrays.
- Avoid smoking situations — drinking, breaks with smoking colleagues.
- Withdrawal symptoms (irritability, insomnia, poor concentration) pass. Learn coping strategies in counselling.
- If you slip, don't give up. Succeeding after several attempts is the norm.
Worth knowing
- Indoor smoking is banned in most places in Korea — restaurants, cafés, inside buildings, public transport.
- Smoking in a no-smoking area brings a fine.
- Use the designated smoking areas.
- Apartment corridors and stairwells are often no-smoking too — a common cause of neighbour disputes. See noise-issues.
Where to go
- 1544-9030 quitline
- Your local public health centre (cessation clinic)
- www.nosmokeguide.go.kr
- 1577-1000 National Health Insurance Service
- 1345 interpretation support
Questions people ask
Counselling in Korean is hard. Request interpretation through 1345, or ask a local support centre. You can also tell the health centre in advance.
Are cessation aids safe? Those provided by health centres and clinics are regulated products. Don't use anything bought privately.
What about e-cigarettes? They are not recommended as a cessation method. Check during health centre counselling.
I've gained weight since quitting. Common. Take nutrition and exercise advice alongside. See diet-nutrition and exercise-health.
Take care
Drinking sessions are the single biggest cause of relapse. Avoid them early on. Never smoke in a home with children or in the car — second-hand smoke is a major cause of children's respiratory illness.
Related
alcohol-support · diet-nutrition · exercise-health · health-checkup · chronic-disease
Source
Korea Health Promotion Institute, NoSmokeGuide www.nosmokeguide.go.kr / As of 2026-08