Arsenic, Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn concentrations in different cigarette brands sold in Korea and the United Kingdom were determined by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). Average values of As, Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn in Korean cigarettes are 0.23, 1.02, 7.73, 1.35 and 38.5 µg g−1 (dw) and those in the UK cigarettes are 0.12, 0.90, 13.0, 0.74 and 31.9 µg g−1 (dw), respectively. It is shown that Korean cigarettes contain more As, Pb and Zn than the UK cigarettes, whilst relatively lower Cu contents are found in Korean cigarettes (p < 0.05). The Cd concentration in cigarettes is not significantly different between the two countries. The amount of Cd inhaled from smoking one pack of 20 cigarettes is estimated to be 1.54 to 3.08 µg from the Korean cigarettes and 1.32 to 2.64 µg from the UK cigarettes, corresponding to 10 to 20% of the total Cd content in the cigarettes. The quantity of Pb inhalation is estimated to be 0.40 to 1.19 µg and 0.22 to 0.65 µg from Korean and the UK cigarettes, respectively. Comparisons are made with As, Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn concentrations in cigarettes reported in previous studies.