E-cigarettes in South Korea

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Daily regulatory tracking of the e-cigarette sector. It includes weekly podcasts and monthly compilations

5th September 2024: South Korea: A group of ten members of parliament from the opposition Democratic Party of Korea has introduced a bill seeking to ban the sale of e-cigarettes in stores offering them through vending machines but at the same time not operated by any retailer (unmanned stores).
15th July 2024: South Korea: A group of ten members of parliament from the ruling party, the People Power Party, has introduced a bill amending the Tobacco Business Act to regulate e-liquids composed of synthetic nicotine. In May, the government announced its plans to close the legal loophole that allows e-liquids containing synthetic nicotine to be freely circulated in the country because the current definition of electronic cigarettes only encompasses naturally derived nicotine.
1st July 2024: China: According to recently updated trade data from the General Administration of Customs, in May 2024, exports of e-cigarettes to South Korea totalled approximately $72.21m, recording a month-on-month decrease of 4.8% but a year-on-year increase of 63.3%. The export volume was around 2,863 tonnes, decreasing 4.73% month-on-month but increasing 53.2% year-on-year. The export unit price was $24.87 per kg, unchanged from the previous month and increasing 4.4% year-on-year, press reports. Meanwhile, exports of e-cigarettes to the US in May amounted to around $336m, showing increases both month-on-month (2.4%) and year-on-year (34.9%). The export volume was around 7,649 tonnes, showing increases both month-on-month (2.57%) and year-on-year (44.61%). The export unit price was $43.96 per kg, decreasing 0.2% month-on-month and 6.7% year-on-year, press reports.
21st June 2024: South Korea: Yesterday (20th June), the Ministry of Health and Welfare updated the health warnings that nicotine-containing e-liquids must carry. The new requirements, which are updated every two years, will apply from 23rd December 2024 to 22nd December 2026.
15th May 2024: South Korea: The government is planning to amend the tobacco law to regulate synthetic nicotine, press reports. This would end the legal loophole whereby e-liquids containing synthetic nicotine can be freely circulated in the country due to the fact that the definition of electronic cigarettes only encompasses naturally derived nicotine. Closing this loophole has been on the government’s agenda for a few years now.
9th November 2023: South Korea: The Tobacco Harmful Ingredients Disclose Bill was signed into law by the Cabinet on 31st October. The bill obliges manufacturers and importers of all tobacco and nicotine products to test every product for harmful ingredients every two years and submit the results, alongside information on raw materials and additives used, to the Ministry of Health. These requirements enter into force on 1st November 2025.
9th October 2023: South Korea: On 6th October, the parliament approved the Tobacco Harmful Ingredients Disclose Bill. If the government signs the bill into law, it would oblige manufacturers and importers of vaping products to test every product for harmful ingredients every two years and submit the results, alongside information on raw materials and additives used, to the Ministry of Health. The ministry would need to establish a basic framework for the method of analysis, disclosure and use of ingredients. The bill would enter into force two years after its publication in the Official Gazette.
19th April 2023: South Korea: Deputy prime minister and minister of economy and finance Choo Kyung-ho said yesterday that e-cigarettes should be taxed at the same level as combustible cigarettes, press reports. E-cigarettes are currently treated as any other tobacco product, but are taxed differently.
28th February 2023: South Korea: The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KCDC) last week published a report on the use of flavoured e-cigarettes, calling for tighter regulation of flavoured tobacco products.
10th November 2022: South Korea: The Customs Service today announced that it will consult with the relevant ministries to revise the relevant laws to include synthetic nicotine under the definition of tobacco. The authority says it has developed a precise method of analysis to determine whether the nicotine contained in e-liquids is natural or synthetic, in response to importers of e-liquids falsely declaring tobacco-derived nicotine to be synthetic in order to avoid taxes.
13th October 2022: South Korea: The Electronic Cigarette Association announced today that it is suing the Ministry of Health and Welfare over its 2019 recommendation to stop using e-cigarettes, press reports. “By giving a false perception that e-cigarettes are as harmful as tobacco, they are causing enormous economic and psychological damage to small business owners who sell e-cigarettes”, the association argues.
28th September 2022: South Korea: The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency today warned of an increasingly widespread use by young people of flavoured tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, which it says are a gateway to smoking. The agency refers to a study showing a 12% increase between 2016 and 2022 in the use of flavoured tobacco products by smokers aged 13-39.

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