"Do You Still Want to Smoke?"... Cigarette Pack Warnings Become More Concise

Ministry of Health and Welfare Announces Administrative Notice on Revision of Packaging Warning Images and Labeling Contents for Cigarette Packs

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced on the 13th that it has finalized 12 new warning images and phrases to be attached to cigarette packs. The warning phrases are characterized by a reduced number of words to highlight the numerical risk of disease occurrence or death.

Warning images and phrases on cigarette packs are changed every 24 months according to the National Health Promotion Act. The current second phase of warning images and phrases will end on December 22. The third phase of warning images and phrases will be applied for two years starting from December 23. The Ministry of Health and Welfare will publicly announce the revision of the "Warning Images and Labeling Contents on Cigarette Pack Packaging," which includes the changes, from the 14th until June 8.

The warning phrases will maintain the current thematic delivery method that emphasizes the risks of smoking and presents the increased risk of disease occurrence or death in numerical terms to enhance understanding. However, considering the small surface area of cigarette packs where the phrases are displayed, the expressions will be made more concise. Nine other types, including lung cancer, oral cancer, heart disease, stroke, secondhand smoke, smoking during pregnancy, early death, tooth discoloration, and liquid-type electronic cigarettes, will be replaced with new warning images after comprehensive evaluation of effectiveness and the need to prevent familiarity.

Three current warning images (laryngeal cancer, sexual dysfunction, and heated tobacco products) will be retained due to their very high effectiveness scores and intuitive understanding of the diseases.

The third phase warning images and phrases were decided through three reviews by the Smoking Cessation Policy Expert Committee, composed of experts from healthcare, communication, law, economics, media, and related government departments, and the final approval of the National Health Promotion Policy Deliberation Committee. A survey on effectiveness evaluation was also conducted with 2,000 general citizens (1,500 adults and 500 adolescents).

Jung Young-ki, Director of the Health Promotion Division at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, expressed hope that "this revision will more clearly convey the harms of smoking and enhance the effects of smoking cessation and prevention."

Organizations or individuals with opinions on the revision can submit them to the Health Promotion Division of the Ministry of Health and Welfare by June 8. Detailed information can be found on the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s website.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.