Ministry of Health and Welfare Holds the 36th World No Tobacco Day... This Year's Anti-Smoking Campaign 'NoDam Sapiens'

The Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea Health Promotion Institute announced on the 31st that they held a commemorative ceremony and forum to mark the 36th World No Tobacco Day.

World No Tobacco Day is an observance established in 1978 by the World Health Organization (WHO) to raise awareness of tobacco as a serious issue and to encourage efforts to create a tobacco-free society.

This year’s theme for No Tobacco Day is “Grow Healthy Food, Not Tobacco.” According to WHO, most tobacco worldwide is cultivated in low-income countries, causing various problems such as soil degradation and nicotine addiction among farming workers, and the land available for growing food is gradually decreasing. Smoking not only harms individual health but can also lead to food shortages.

At the event, the first anti-smoking advertisement of the year was unveiled, cleverly depicting the special abilities that non-smokers have gained in daily life due to being “No-Dam” (No Smoking) in the “No-Dam Sapiens” edition. It reinterpreted various “No-Dam abilities” acquired by not smoking, such as good memory, excellent lung capacity, and agile responsiveness.

The new anti-smoking advertisement will be simultaneously broadcast across various media including terrestrial TV, radio, cable and general programming channels, online, and outdoor platforms until the end of July.

Additionally, a nationwide participatory campaign called the “MAD ON Challenge” will be held to showcase even more diverse No-Dam Sapiens abilities in everyday life and to promote the No-Dam culture. From July 12 to August 13, participants can freely verify and share their No-Dam abilities through videos and photos by accessing the No-Dam campaign website.

At the tobacco regulation forum, lectures and discussions by experts from various fields were held on key issues and development directions of the latest tobacco regulation policies, including the current state of tobacco advertising in retail stores and the impact of tobacco advertising on youth.

Park Min-su, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, stated, “No smoking is no longer just about protecting individual health and the surrounding environment, but is an urgent issue from a global perspective for future generations. We will continue to take the lead in creating a smoke-free environment and tobacco regulation in our society.”

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