Key Takeaways
- South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said on April 17 that it has additionally designated the International Characterization Research Institute as a tobacco harmful components testing body.
- The designation was made under the Act on the Management of Tobacco Harmfulness.
- The institute has research experience in analyzing harmful components in liquid e-cigarettes and has obtained recognition for tobacco-sector ISO 17025 requirements.
- The total number of tobacco harmful components testing bodies in South Korea has increased from two, namely KCL and the Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation of Chungbuk National University, to three.
- The ministry said the newly designated institute will help enable smooth testing of liquid e-cigarettes, including those containing synthetic nicotine.
2Firsts, April 17, 2026
According to the report, South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said it has additionally designated the International Characterization Research Institute as a tobacco harmful components testing body under the Act on the Management of Tobacco Harmfulness.
International Characterization Research Institute was additionally designated
The ministry said on April 17 that the International Characterization Research Institute is an institution that has research experience in analyzing harmful components in liquid e-cigarettes and has obtained recognition for tobacco-sector International Organization for Standardization requirements, ISO 17025.
The total number of testing bodies has increased to three
With this new designation, the number of tobacco harmful components testing bodies in South Korea has increased from the previous two, KCL and the Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation of Chungbuk National University, to a total of three.
The new body will support liquid e-cigarette testing
The ministry said the newly designated International Characterization Research Institute, as a testing body for harmful components in liquid e-cigarettes, will help ensure smooth testing of liquid e-cigarettes, including those containing synthetic nicotine, which are newly incorporated under the revised Tobacco Business Act that took effect after last year’s amendment.
MFDS said it will continue expanding testing bodies
The ministry said it is providing consulting on designation requirements to institutions seeking designation in order to continue expanding the number of testing bodies.
Interested institutions may apply through the Food Safety Korea system
The ministry also said that institutions wishing to obtain designation may apply for testing body designation through the Food Safety Korea integrated civil petition consultation channel once they meet the designation requirements, including recognition of tobacco-sector ISO requirements.
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