Key Takeaways (4–5 bullets)
- Legal basis: revised Tobacco Business Act includes synthetic-nicotine liquid e-cigarettes as “tobacco,” effective April 24, 2026
- Local action: Daegu Jung-gu to fine vaping of liquid e-cigarettes in nonsmoking areas
- Fine level: up to 100,000 won
- Outreach: February–March set as an intensive public information period
- Official view: amendment enables systematic management of products previously in a regulatory blind spot
2Firsts, Feb 10 2026
According to nate, Daegu’s Jung-gu District said on Feb. 10 that as amendments to the Tobacco Business Act—which explicitly define liquid e-cigarettes containing synthetic nicotine as “tobacco”—take effect on April 24, 2026, the district will expand enforcement to include administrative fines for using such products in designated nonsmoking areas.
The report says the amendment moves beyond a combustible-tobacco-centered regulatory system by bringing synthetic-nicotine liquid e-cigarettes into the tobacco category, meaning products that had been in a regulatory blind spot will now be subject to the same rules as conventional cigarettes.
The Jung-gu Public Health Center said that, in addition to cigarettes and heated tobacco products, users who vape synthetic-nicotine liquid e-cigarettes in nonsmoking areas will face expanded enforcement measures, including an administrative fine of up to 100,000 won, the report says.
To minimize on-site confusion related to the policy change, the district will designate February–March as an intensive outreach period, conducting on-site visits to explain key elements of the amendment and distributing informational leaflets, according to the report.
A district official was quoted as saying the amendment enables systematic management of liquid e-cigarettes that had previously fallen into a regulatory blind spot, and that the district will continue field-based guidance efforts alongside the outreach campaign.
Image Source: nate
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