Cigarette sales in South Korea plunged by almost six-point-four percent in the third quarter from a year earlier. 

According to the Ministry of Economy and Finance, 930 million packs of cigarettes, including 80 million e-cigarettes, were sold in the July-September period. 

Cumulative sales for the first three quarters of this year stood at two-point-six billion packs, down three-point-four percent from the same period last year. 

The ministry said cigarette sales have been declining gradually since prices were raised in early 2015.