Park, an 18-year-old Seoul high school student, has smoked for more than three years. Smoking a few times a day, he does not think cigarettes pose significant health risks to him.

“I only smoke two or three times a day. I don’t think I’m very addicted and don’t have serious health issues yet. It’s just a way to hang out with friends,” Park told The Korea Herald, asking not to be named.

Park is one of a large number of Korean teenagers who do not consider smoking harmful.

According to the latest survey conducted by Korea Health Promotion Foundation, about 15 percent of teenage smokers do not think smoking is harmful.

Teen smokers and nonsmokers had different perceptions of the habit.

Over 26 percent of underage smokers said smoking once or twice was OK -- a rate four times higher than that of teenage nonsmokers who think so, at 6.4 percent.

While more than 85 percent of nonsmokers approved of legally banning youths from smoking, only 63 percent of teenage smokers agreed.

Nearly 14 percent of smokers said they would smoke in the future whereas 2.7 percent of nonsmokers said they would likely smoke someday.

Meanwhile, the organization’s study showed that students were 74 percent more likely to start smoking underage if they saw their teachers smoking at school.

“Antismoking education must be carried out in a way that can correct students’ misunderstandings and change their perceptions of smoking,” said Lim Wan-ryung, a researcher at the organization.

As part of the efforts to curb youth smoking, the Ministry of Health and Welfare launched antismoking programs at over 11,000 schools this year, officials said.

By Lee Hyun-jeong (rene@heraldcorp.com)