"Tobacco Pack Warning Images to Become Stronger from Year-End" ... Revised Manual Distributed

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bo-kyung] The Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea Health Promotion Institute announced on the 28th that they will revise and distribute the labeling guidelines (manual) ahead of the replacement of warning images and texts on cigarette packs.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare revised and promulgated the notice on the labeling contents of warning images on cigarette packaging last June, and this notice will be applied from December 23 after a six-month grace period.

In this replacement, the 'early death' image previously depicted as a portrait photo will be changed to a skull made of smoke, and the image representing secondhand smoke will be changed from a photo of cigarette smoke and a child covering their nose to a photo of a newborn being fed a bottle filled with cigarettes, thereby strengthening the expression of health risks.

Additionally, the warning text for heated tobacco products has been simplified from "Lung cancer risk, up to 26 times!" to just "Lung cancer."

The revised guidelines reflect the replacement of 11 out of the 12 existing warning images, excluding one for liquid-type electronic cigarettes, and due to the simplification of warning texts, changes were made to font size and letter spacing.

For heated tobacco products, the warning image must occupy at least 30% of the front of the packaging, and the warning text must occupy at least 20%. The warning text should be clearly displayed in Gothic font with contrasting colors against the packaging background.

For liquid-type electronic cigarettes (cylindrical type), the guidelines were revised to reflect the most commonly circulated designs in the market. The guidelines also include Q&A related to warning labels on imported, duty-free cigarettes, and electronic cigarettes, in addition to labeling methods.

The new guidelines can be found on the websites of the Korea Health Promotion Institute or the National Quitline Support Center.

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