Korean Parliament Holds Public Hearing on Tobacco Industry Law

According to V. Daum's report on December 27th, a public hearing on the amendment of the "Tobacco Business Act" was held at the National Assembly in Seoul's Yeouido Island on the same day.

Kim Dohwan, the Executive Vice President of the Korea E-Cigarette Association Federation, pointed out that synthetic nicotine can be sold through online shopping platforms, vending machines, and the internet without the need for a tobacco retail license. He criticized the indiscriminate promotion, which he believes is influencing underage individuals who should not be exposed to tobacco. The president also emphasized that the unregulated distribution of synthetic nicotine is harming authorized tobacco retailers. He stated that over 4,000 legally certified retailers nationwide are facing threats to their survival, and therefore he supports the regulation of synthetic nicotine to normalize the market as soon as possible.

Currently, Congress has submitted 10 revision drafts, proposing to expand the definition of tobacco from the current "tobacco leaf products" to include products containing synthetic nicotine. Experts from various sectors provided feedback on this revision at a public hearing.

The Ministry of Planning and Finance, responsible for tobacco regulation, was previously cautious in its oversight of synthetic nicotine. However, a study by the Ministry of Health and Welfare has revealed that synthetic nicotine contains several harmful substances with carcinogenic and reproductive toxic effects. As a result, the Ministry now supports necessary regulatory measures.

Furthermore, the Korean E-Cigarette E-Liquid Safety Association opposes the revision draft, claiming that synthetic nicotine does not contain carcinogenic ingredients. They warn that such enforcement may lead to increased consumption of more harmful traditional cigarettes and nicotine-containing e-cigarettes, and recommend prioritizing enforcement and investigation of existing products. The association also questions the credibility of the institution conducting research for the Ministry of Health and Welfare and suggests restarting the research. They suggest that the research samples may have intentionally used counterfeit synthetic nicotine falsely labeled as tobacco nicotine, or employed distorted research methods.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare, responsible for the research task, stated that there are no major issues in the research process or results. An official from the Ministry of Health and Welfare responded, "This is an organization that has extensive experience in analyzing tobacco components and has carried out many tasks commissioned by government or public organizations. In terms of procedure, this is a professional academic research under the National Contract Law, so a negotiation contract was signed. It was legally contracted and executed.