 North Korea signed the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control on 17 June 2003 and ratified it on 27 April 2005.The tobacco industry in North Korea is substantial, with 53,000 hectares (2.3% of its arable land) dedicated to tobacco cultivation.This is the fourth-highest percentage of arable land dedicated to tobacco in the world, with the annual output exceeding 80,000 tonnes, making North Korea one of the top 25 tobacco producers worldwide.