With the new year comes resolutions. Many have decided to stop smoking, and determined that they need help doing so. Here’s Mike Balfour with a report on a local clinic that offers those trying to kick the habit a program for doing so.

[slug]
Jeju Health Center Stop-Smoking Clinic

This is the Jeju Health Center Stop-Smoking Clinic.
Smokers who decide to say goodbye to cigarettes are getting counseling from tobacco treatment specialists.

This man in his forties who has smoked for 20 years decided to quit the habit.
He gets tested and receives counseling from a specialist in an effort to make the new year’s resolution work.

Interview
Smoker
My family and friends convinced me to stop smoking, so I decided to quit this year.
<금연 도전자>
주변에서 권해서 한번 끊어보려고요...

Mr. (최택용) Choi Taek-yong hesitated but finally went to the stop-smoking clinic. He has smoked for 30 years.

Mr. Choi confessed that he succumbed to temptation of cigarettes again after he had stopped smoking for about a year.

He made a firm resolution to quit smoking this year and to never smoke again.

Interview
Choi Taek-yong
I had stopped smoking for a year. But I started to smoke again, 3 to 4 cigarettes a day. This time, I’m determined to kick the habit with professional help.
<인터뷰 최택용>
전에 도움 안받고 의지로 1년 동안 끊어봤는데 다시 피게 되더라고요. 하루에 3~4개피씩 피는데 이번에 완전히 끊으려고 여기 찾아왔죠.

As a new year begins, more smokers are knocking on the door of the clinic.

The number of people seeking professional help to kick the habit has decreased when compared with last year when cigarette prices sharply increased. But still, on average, over 50 smokers visit the clinic a day.

Smokers can register at the clinic and enter the program for free.

Interview
Kim Hee Kyung / Representative, Jeju Health Center
Some smokers doubt the effectiveness of our program and hesitate to visit the clinic. But half of smokers who participate in the program have succeeded.
< 김희경 / 제주보건소 금연클리닉 >
몇 십년 동안 피웠던 담배를 과연 금연클리닉 간다고, 마음만 먹었다고 새해니까 될까 하는 걱정하는 마음으로 방문 안하는 분들이 계신데 ///오시는 분은 반은 성공하신 거예요.

3,600 smokers registered at the stop-smoking clinic last year.

[REPORTER]
Mike Balfour

Under the clinic’s intensive supervision, half of them are kicking the habit.

Mike Balfour KCTV