South Korea Holds 2nd Local Community Smoke-Free Policy Workshop, Emphasizes Importance of Strengthening E-Cigarette Regulations

Key Points: 

·The second annual Local Community Smoke-free Policy Seminar in South Korea emphasized the importance of strengthening e-cigarette regulations. 

·The policy of prohibiting sales around schools was also discussed and received attention.

According to m.go.seoul.co.kr, on August 25th, Seong Ki-hwang, a member of the Education Planning Committee of the Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly in South Korea, participated in the "Second Local Community Smoke-Free Policy Seminar" at the assembly meeting room on the 22nd, and took a group photo with other participants. During the seminar, Member Seong emphasized the importance of strengthening regulations on e-cigarettes to protect the health of students.

Assemblyman Seo Gi-hwang first introduced the background of the revision of the "Gyeonggi Province Department of Education Youth Harmful Drug Misuse and Abuse Prevention Education Ordinance." He pointed out that due to e-cigarette specialty stores being openly accessible to elementary and middle school students in various areas of Gyeonggi Province, the protection of the health of 1.4 million elementary and middle school students in Gyeonggi Province, as well as strengthening the responsibility of the Gyeonggi Province Department of Education, became the driving force behind the revision of this ordinance.

In addition, Senator Cheng Jihuang welcomes the provision in the Education Environment Act passed by Congress that prohibits the sale of e-cigarettes near schools. However, he also points out that the vague definition of e-cigarettes in the Tobacco Industry Act has created regulatory loopholes in current laws. He calls for more fundamental measures to revise the Tobacco Industry Act, such as strengthening regulation of online sales, mandating ingredient labeling, and increasing advertising oversight.

Assemblyman Seo Ki-Hwang stressed that the regulation of e-cigarettes is a societal issue that requires collective action. The Gyeonggi Province Council will actively respond to the need for policy improvements and lead in protecting the health rights of future generations.

According to reports, the seminar was jointly organized by the Southern Anti-Smoking Support Center and the Northern Anti-Smoking Support Center in South Korea. Discussions were held on various smoke-free policy issues, such as the effectiveness of installing smoking areas, increasing tobacco taxes, and the necessity of modifying the definition of tobacco.