South Koreans consumed the largest-ever amount of cigarettes and alcohol last year, as more people resorted to these goods to ease stress brought on by the prolonged economic slump.

On average, a Korean smoker bought 488 packs of cigarettes last year, while a Korean adult drank 86 bottles of soju, the most popular distilled liquor among Korean people.

The National Statistical Office (NSO) reported Sunday that the number of cigarettes shipped to domestic markets recorded 105.47 billion in 2004, up 22.4 percent from a year earlier.

It is the first time that the number of cigarettes consumed has exceeded 100 billion since 1998 when the nation suffered from the financial crisis. In 1998, a total of 101.34 billion cigarettes were consumed.

With the smoking population estimated at around 10.8 million, smokers puffed an average of 9,760 cigarettes or 488 packs each last year, more than one pack per day.

After exceeding the 100 billion mark, the number of consumed cigarettes fell to 93 billion in 2000, 78.5 billion in 2001 and 68.2 billion in 2002. In 2003, the figure rebounded to 86 billion.

In line with soaring cigarette consumption, Koreans¡¯ spending on cheap alcoholic beverages, such as soju and beer, also surged last year.

Beer consumption recorded an all-time high of 1.73 million kiloliters, up 1.7 percent from a year ago. The amount of soju consumed was 1.08 million kiloliters, up 3.8 percent from the prior year¡¯s 1.04 million kiloliters.

This means that the average Korean adult, or person aged 20 or above, drank 99 bottles (each of 500 milliliters) of beer and 86 bottles of soju last year.

Market analysts said that the consumption of cigarettes and soju tends to rise during economic slumps, as people in low- and middle-income brackets seek comfort in consuming these goods.