Inevitably, this increase in obesity will result in more Koreans suffering from chronic diseases such as diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular and respiratory conditions (Berry et al., While having fallen considerably from very high levels during the 1980s, Korean males still have smoking rates that are among the highest across OECD countries (Figure 5.2). While the proportion of women who smoke is the lowest in the OECD, those that do are likely to start at a younger age and are therefore exposed to the harmful effects of smoking earlier in life.