Rising Sales of E-Cigarettes and Flavored Tobacco in South Korea

Although South Korea heavily promotes the dangers of smoking, electronic cigarettes and flavored tobacco products are becoming increasingly popular. In recent years, cigarette sales have been on the rise in South Korea.

As more and more teenagers and women are drawn to the sleek and stylish packaging of e-cigarettes, their sales have surpassed those of traditional cigarettes. E-cigarettes are charged via USB, adding a touch of technology, and some products can even be connected to a tracking mode on a phone.

Photo credit: THE CHOSUNILBO

According to statistics from the South Korean Ministry of Economy and Finance on November 27th, cigarette sales in the first half of this year reached 1.78 billion packs, an increase of 2% compared to the same period in 2021 and a growth of 6.4% compared to the first half of 2019. This marks the third consecutive year of positive growth.

The sales of cigarettes increased from 3.44 billion packs in 2019 to 3.59 billion packs in 2020 and 2021, and may further increase in 2022.

The sales of electronic cigarettes have soared by 33% in the past three years from 2019 to 2021, accounting for 14% of the total tobacco sales. Tobacco companies insist that electronic cigarettes are less harmful than traditional cigarettes, but some medical professionals believe the evidence in support of this claim is not yet sufficient.

In 2019, 68 people in the United States died and approximately 2,800 fell ill due to vaping-related lung damage. In South Korea, around 40,000 online shopping websites and offline stores sell electronic cigarettes. According to South Korean law, cigarettes are classified as products made from tobacco leaves, therefore e-cigarettes do not require health warning images on packaging.

According to the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, electronic cigarettes contain carcinogenic substances that are harmful to health. The WHO has been urging tobacco companies to display warning information on electronic cigarette packaging, but South Korea has been slow to take action on this measure.

Nicotine is highly addictive. Doctors say that even small amounts of nicotine exposure can greatly increase the risk of developing cancer and other diseases.

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