While Kim Jong Un regularly takes a drag of his cigarette in front of state cameras, North Korea is investing even more in its public health campaign to curb smoking — state media highlighted several ongoing projects at the DPRK’s “smoking cessation research center” on Friday.
According to North Korea’s state-run Arirang Meari, the research center (금연연구보급소) analyzes data and compiles anti-smoking trends from around the world. It scrapes the globe for what works, then takes that information and makes it public to North Korean citizens — for example, the government claims it opened an online campaign site on the country's intranet called “No Smoking 1.0” last July.
While Kim Jong Un regularly takes a drag of his cigarette in front of state cameras, North Korea is investing even more in its public health campaign to curb smoking — state media highlighted several ongoing projects at the DPRK’s “smoking cessation research center” on Friday.
According to North Korea’s state-run Arirang Meari, the research center (금연연구보급소) analyzes data and compiles anti-smoking trends from around the world. It scrapes the globe for what works, then takes that information and makes it public to North Korean citizens — for example, the government claims it opened an online campaign site on the country's intranet called “No Smoking 1.0” last July.
Kelly Kasulis was the Managing Editor of NK News, based in Seoul. She previously covered North and South Korea for Public Radio International, Al Jazeera English, Bloomberg Industry, Mic and many others. Follow Kelly on Twitter: @kasulisk.