Seoul, November 5: North Korea's Supreme People's Assembly introduced smoking bans in some public places to help people with "hygienic living environments." According to a Reuters report, the tobacco-prohibition law is aimed to protect the lives of North Koreans by tightening controls on the production and sale of cigarettes.

The state media KCNA further mentioned that according to the law, smoking is banned in places such as political, education centres, cinemas and medical and public health facilities. According to World Health Organization statistics, North Korea has high rates of smoking tobacco, with 43.9 percent of the male population smokers as of 2013. COVID-19 Threat in North Korea: Citizens Told to Stay Indoors, State Media Says 'Yellow Dust' Blowing From China May Bring Virus Along.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is known as a chain smoker who is frequently seen with a cigarette in hand in photographs in state media.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 05, 2020 09:14 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).