"E-cigarettes with 'Fresh Flavor' in Regulatory Blind Spot... Experts Warn 'Encourages Youth Smoking'"

Ministry of Health and Welfare: "Related Legislation Must Be Passed"

On August 22, 2022, at the Seoul Metro Museum of Art located in Gyeongbokgung Station, Jongno-gu, Seoul, records of smoking cessation advertisements conducted over the past 20 years were exhibited at the Korea Smoking Cessation Advertisement Records Exhibition. This exhibition was organized to showcase the history of smoking cessation advertisements, from the early ads starting in 2001 to major ads and slogans by era, as well as recent ads raising awareness about electronic cigarettes, aiming to promote a culture of smoking cessation. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

"All the electronic cigarettes made by this company taste good."

This is a post titled 'Electronic Cigarette Review' on a portal blog. The author, Mr. A, introduced four types of liquid products made by an electronic cigarette company, describing them as "refreshing," "cool," and "sweet." At the end, he mentioned, "This was written after receiving a small commission from the company." It is a form of online marketing by the electronic cigarette company. Some electronic cigarette companies also added claims that "safety has been proven" while advertising their products.

According to the Tobacco Business Act on the 9th, tobacco can only be advertised and marketed at retail stores such as convenience stores. Violating this can result in imprisonment for up to one year or a fine of up to 10 million won. However, advertising and marketing of electronic cigarettes online can be easily found. Because of this, there are concerns that it accelerates the initiation of tobacco use among adolescents and increases smoking rates. A meta-analysis conducted by Seong-Kwon Myung, Dean of the Graduate School of International Cancer Studies at the National Cancer Center (specialist in family medicine), on 25,722 adolescents and young adults found that those exposed to electronic cigarette advertisements were 1.53 times more likely to become electronic cigarette users than those who were not exposed.

The reason electronic cigarettes are relatively free from advertising and marketing restrictions is due to the narrow legal definition of tobacco. Tobacco refers to products made from the leaves, stems, roots, etc., of the tobacco plant, manufactured for inhalation or chewing. Electronic cigarettes are broadly divided into heated tobacco products that use dedicated sticks containing tobacco leaves and liquid-type electronic cigarettes that use synthetic nicotine and other substances. Heated tobacco products are considered tobacco, but liquid-type electronic cigarettes may not be.

Due to this regulatory blind spot, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the main regulatory body, released its first anti-smoking advertisement titled 'Electronic Cigarettes Edition' last year, which led to conflicts with the Electronic Cigarette Association. The association argued that "liquid-type electronic cigarettes cannot be treated on the same level as conventional tobacco." At that time, the Ministry of Health and Welfare conveyed the message that "electronic cigarettes show contradictory behavior where smokers rationalize that they are less harmful and thus smoke more frequently and in greater amounts" and "there is no safe cigarette."

Hong-Kwan Seo, Director of the National Cancer Center (former president of the Korea Anti-Smoking Movement Council), emphasized, "Electronic cigarette companies claim that electronic cigarettes are less harmful than conventional cigarettes, but electronic cigarettes containing various carcinogens such as formaldehyde cannot be considered safe," and stressed that "advertising and marketing should be strictly regulated just like conventional cigarettes."

A Ministry of Health and Welfare official stated, "To strengthen regulations including advertising and promotion of electronic cigarettes, it is very important to prove the harmfulness of electronic cigarettes." He added, "The passage of the 'Tobacco Harm Management Act,' currently under review by the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, will be a turning point," and "Once this bill passes, we expect to actively engage in policy activities related to electronic cigarettes." This bill mandates tobacco businesses to disclose all harmful substances contained in tobacco other than tar and nicotine and includes liquid-type electronic cigarettes in the definition of tobacco.

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