"More Concise and Powerful" ... Increasing the Severity of Warning Images on Cigarette Packs

Among 12 Types of Paintings, 11 Will Be Replaced Starting December
Warning Messages Mainly Indicate Disease Names

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] Among the 12 warning images displayed on cigarette packs, 11 will be changed starting this December.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced on the 20th that it held the 4th National Health Promotion Policy Deliberation Committee meeting chaired by Second Vice Minister Lee Ki-il and finalized the 4th set of cigarette pack warning images and phrases.

The warning images and phrases on cigarette packs are updated every 24 months to prevent familiarity and enhance effectiveness and visibility. This time, among the 12 themes including lung cancer, laryngeal cancer, oral cancer, heart disease, stroke, secondhand smoke, smoking during pregnancy, premature death, sexual dysfunction, and tooth discoloration, 11 types will be replaced except for one type related to liquid-type electronic cigarettes.

The images emphasize the characteristics of each theme while strengthening the expression of health risks. For lung cancer, the image changes from a photo showing an enlarged part of the lung to a picture depicting the entire lung discolored and hardened. The portrait image warning of "premature death" changes to a skull made of smoke. The image representing secondhand smoke changes from a photo of cigarette smoke and a child holding their nose to a photo of a newborn being fed a bottle filled with cigarettes.

Regarding the warning phrases, 10 out of 12 types excluding two electronic cigarette types will be changed to 'disease-emphasis' phrases that clearly and concisely express disease names and health risks.' Unlike the 3rd set, which emphasized figures such as 'Lung cancer risk, up to 26 times,' the 4th set finalized this time only lists disease names like 'lung cancer.'

Before replacing the warning images and phrases, the Ministry of Health and Welfare conducted five deliberations through the Smoking Cessation Policy Expert Committee composed of experts in healthcare, law, communication, and related government departments, and collected opinions through administrative notice. The new warning images and phrases will be applied from December 23 after a six-month grace period following the revision of the notification on the 22nd.

Vice Minister Lee said, "By replacing the cigarette pack warning images and phrases that have become familiar to the public, we hope to deliver the message urging smoking cessation that there is no safe cigarette for myself or others, and to clearly inform about the harms of smoking."

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