Key points:
- More than half of the e-cigarette stores in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea have not posted signs prohibiting individuals under the age of 19 from entering, and one unmanned store even lacks an adult verification device.
- Although e-cigarettes have been recognized as harmful products for teenagers, e-cigarette shops are not classified as harmful places, and current laws do not require them to have a no-entry sign.
- Officials in Gyeonggi Province have proposed designating e-cigarette shops as harmful places for youth. The Gyeonggi Special Judicial Police Department has pledged to promote institutional improvements in order to protect the health of young people.
According to a report by N.News on March 25, a survey found that over half of the e-cigarette stores in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea, did not display signs prohibiting individuals under the age of 19 from entering.
The Gyeonggi Provincial Special Judicial Police Department (JSP) conducted on-site inspections at 182 e-cigarette stores from February 12-23 and found that 93 stores (51%) did not have signs posted prohibiting individuals under the age of 19 from entering. One store, which had no staff present, was even operating normally without installing an adult verification device.
Despite being recognized as harmful products for teenagers by the Women and Family Department since 2011, e-cigarette shops are not classified as harmful places, therefore there are no restrictions on teenagers entering. In addition, current laws separate e-cigarettes from regular cigarettes, allowing these shops to not have to establish no entry signs.
Officials in Gyeonggi Province have proposed to the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family to designate e-cigarette stores as harmful places for young people. The head of the Gyeonggi Special Judicial Police Department (JSP) stated that this on-site inspection is aimed at proactively protecting the health of adolescents during their growth period and pledged to promote system improvements to prevent young people from entering e-cigarette stores.
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