"All Tobacco Ingredients Must Be Disclosed"... 'Act on the Management of Harmful Effects of Tobacco' Takes Effect Today

by Jo Inkyung

Published 01 Nov.2025 09:00(KST)

Mandatory Testing of Harmful Substances by Product Category Every Two Years for Manufacturers and Importers

The “Act on the Management of Harmful Effects of Tobacco,” which mandates the public disclosure of information on harmful substances contained in tobacco products, went into effect on November 1.

Yonhap News Agency

According to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and the Ministry of Health and Welfare, this law stipulates comprehensive management measures for the harmfulness of tobacco, including information on harmful substances contained in tobacco, the scope of disclosure, and the methods of testing and disclosure. The law was established to guarantee the public’s right to know about the harmfulness of tobacco and to protect public health from the dangers of tobacco use.

Under this law, tobacco manufacturers and importers are required to commission tests for harmful substances for each product category every two years at an authorized tobacco harmfulness testing institution and submit the test results to the Minister of Food and Drug Safety. However, for tobacco products being sold as of the enforcement date, tests must be commissioned by January 31 of the following year, which is within three months from the enforcement date. For tobacco products launched after the enforcement of the law, tests must be commissioned within six months after the start of the following year.

Testing institutions will be designated based on their compliance with the international standard for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories (ISO/IEC 17025) and their fulfillment of requirements regarding personnel, facilities, and equipment.

The issued test results must be submitted to the Minister of Food and Drug Safety within 15 days. Manufacturers or others who fail to commission harmful substance tests or submit test results will be subject to corrective orders. If they fail to comply with the corrective order within the specified period, the relevant tobacco products may be subject to recall and disposal.

Based on the submitted test results and related documents, the Minister of Food and Drug Safety is required to disclose information on the harmful substances in tobacco and the effects of each harmful substance on the human body, including toxicity and carcinogenicity. The specific details of the disclosed information will be finalized through deliberation and resolution by the Tobacco Harmfulness Management Policy Committee, and the information will be made easily accessible to the public through the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety website and other channels.

The government expects that information on harmful substances for each tobacco product will be utilized in health promotion policies, thereby contributing to the protection and improvement of public health. Oh Yu-kyung, Minister of Food and Drug Safety, stated, “We plan to communicate with the industry to ensure the stable implementation of the tobacco harmful substance information disclosure system,” and added, “Based on scientific expertise, we will conduct thorough testing of harmful substances in tobacco and disclose the information accurately and in a way that is easy for the public to understand, so as to prevent misunderstandings.”

Jung Eun-kyung, Minister of Health and Welfare, said, “We will clearly deliver information on the harmfulness of tobacco to the public and promote smoking prevention and cessation policies based on scientific evidence.”