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A birth cohort analysis was performed in order to investigate trends in the smoking status of Koreans during the past decades. We used the secondary data of the national smoking survey which conducted by the Korean National Tuber¬culosis Association in 1985. The sample consisted of 29,181 people representing the total population over 15 years of age as a result of stratified multi-stage probability sampling. The results were as follows: 1. The overall prevalence of current smokers over 15 years of age was 61.5% in males and 6.8% in females. 2. The cohort observation revealed important differences in smoking patterns between men and women. The incidence of smoking was highest during the 20-24 age group in all male birth cohorts while the incidence was highest during the 40-49 age group in female birth cohorts. The more recent the birth cohort was, the earlier age smoking began. 3. The smoking prevalence was very low before 20 years of age and it increased sharply during the ages 20-29. The level was maintained after 30 and finally decreased after 50. The lifetime smoking rate was highest among those born from 1951 through 1960 in men, whereas it was highest among those born from 1901-1910 in women.