Anti-smoking ad draws protest in Korea, so it must be working

The cigarette buyers in this anti-smoking ad on behalf of Korea's Ministry of Health are saying things like "Give me a 1 milligram of laryngeal cancer," "Give me a lung cancer" or "Give me a stroke", according to the Korea Times.

Also according to that article (and followup coverage by the BBC, among others), the ad has raised the ire of a group called I Love Smoking, which wants the ad pulled on the grounds that it discriminates against smokers by describing them "as disgusting people, infringing on their basic human rights and humiliating them".

To Ad Nut's eye, the ad is fact-based and does an excellent job of portraying the painful cognitive dissonance smokers experience—they know the damage they are doing but can't escape the addiction. In other words, perhaps the pro-smoking group is actually upset because the ad hits too close to home. That said, Ad Nut hopes the government is also providing support for smokers who do want to quit—not just scary ad campaigns and higher taxes.

Ad Nut and friends aren't sure what agency created the ad, but are trying to find out.