Read articles from South Korea

March 27, 2020 by nikkei.com

E-cigarette makers in South Korea suffered a further setback after the Constitutional Court swiftly dismissed a petition by an industry body challenging the government's warnings against the devices.

The court's decision, issued just two weeks after the original filing by the Korea Electronic Cigarette Association, comes amid increasing government pressure on the once-thriving industry, both in South Korea and elsewhere in Asia. Late last year, India banned e-cigarettes entirely.

January 29, 2020 by koreaherald.com

In a rare move in the competitive tobacco industry, South Korea’s KT&G established a strategic alliance with Philip Morris International on Wednesday, to expand the market worldwide for its heat-not-burn cigarette brand lil. The unusual partnership secures a global distribution network for KT&G, which has been domestic-centric until recently, while it would help PMI enhance its campaign of “smoke-free” cigarette products with the added portfolio. [...] “Our agreement will benefit adult smokers in the world by providing a wide array of better choices,” Calantzopoulos said.

December 12, 2019 by koreatimes.co.kr

A substance potentially causing serious lung diseases has been found in liquid e-cigarettes sold here, health authorities said, Thursday. The "vaping" products, however, did not contain tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a chemical that is said to be responsible for most cases of lung damage from vaping reported in the U.S. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced the results of its toxicity tests on seven potentially harmful ingredients in 153 liquid e-cigarette products, or e-liquids, amid growing anxiety among vapers following the health authorities' strong warning against using them issued in October.

September 24, 2019 by koreabiomed.com

The Ministry of Health and Welfare has recommended smokers who use e-cigarettes to refrain from using their devices until it completes investigation into the relationship between the liquid-type e-cigarettes and lung diseases. "After coordinating with the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS), we will conduct a full-scale investigation for the ingredient analysis of liquid-type e-cigarettes," a health and welfare ministry official said.

February 27, 2019 by koreabiomed.com

An expert pointed out how harmful so-called “heat-not-burn” cigarettes could be and offered tips for effective smoking cessation.

Kim Dae-jin, a professor at the psychiatry department at Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital, said that the new type of tobacco, designed to reduce carcinogens and let users absorb nicotine only, has become another stumbling block for smoking cessation. [...] “Heat-not-burn cigarettes are similar to conventional ones in terms of nicotine addiction because they also deliver nicotine to the brain,” he said.

February 01, 2019 by koreatimes.co.kr

During my 11-plus years in Korea, I have inhaled vast amounts of second-hand smoke. I have never smoked and would never do so, believing it to be a vile and disgusting habit. The deleterious effects of smoking on the human body are legion.

People who light up are more likely to develop lung cancer (not to mention cancer of the mouth, throat, bladder and kidneys), emphysema, diabetes, leukemia, blood clots, high cholesterol, heart disease, strokes, bronchitis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

January 30, 2019 by filtermag.org

Last year, an increase in heat-not-burn (HNB) electronic tobacco product sales in South Korea coincided with a decrease in cigarette sales, causing people who care about public health to pore over the potential significance.

South Korea’s consumer trend could indicate the harm reduction potential of HNB products—which heat tobacco sticks enough to produce nicotine-containing vapor, but not enough to produce smoke—to move smokers off of cigarettes. US federal regulators, meanwhile, say that not enough evidence shows that HNB products reduce harms relative to smoking.

November 28, 2018 by ft.com

South Korea has become the first east Asian country to legalise medical cannabis in a surprising move to expand the treatment options for patients with epilepsy and other rare diseases in the conservative country.

The country’s national assembly approved amending the Act on the Management of Narcotic Drugs on Friday to allow non-hallucinogenic doses of medical marijuana. Still, using weed even for medical purpose will be strictly controlled with patients required to apply to the Korea Orphan Drug Centre, [...]

October 01, 2018 by ft.com

Philip Morris International has filed a lawsuit against the South Korean government, demanding the disclosure of detailed information on Seoul’s recent test results of harmful substances found in electronic cigarettes.

The lawsuit against the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety follows its announcement in June that five cancer-causing substances were found in heated tobacco products, with the level of tar detected in some of them far exceeding that of conventional cigarettes. 

September 02, 2018 by koreatimesus.com

Philip Morris International Inc. claimed Thursday that its heat-not-burn device, IQOS, can reduce the incidence and multiplicity of lung carcinomas in a cancer animal model. The tobacco giant said the incidence and multiplicity of lung carcinomas was significantly increased upon exposure to cigarette smoke than normal conditions. However, the incidence and multiplicity of lung carcinomas in mice exposed to IQOS was significantly lower than mice exposed to cigarettes and similar to mice in normal coniditions, [...]