South Korea Parliament Delays Nicotine Synthesis Tobacco Regulations, Unfair Treatment

According to a report by V. Daum on February 16, about 127,000 traditional tobacco retailers in South Korea are facing unfair treatment due to the continuous delay by the National Assembly and the government in implementing regulatory measures for the Synthetic Nicotine Tobacco Act.

According to industry sources, the failure of the Congressional Planning and Finance Committee to pass an amendment to include synthetic nicotine in the Tobacco Control Act has sparked dissatisfaction within the industry. The Planning and Finance Committee is currently planning to make a decision after further reviewing data from the Planning and Finance Ministry regarding the relaxation of distance restrictions between retailers, the extent of tobacco price increases, and the impact on small businesses.

The e-cigarette manufacturers association criticized Congress and the government for not categorizing synthetic nicotine as a tobacco product, calling it a form of leniency towards non-compliant businesses. The current direction of Congress and the government, which is considering relaxing distance restrictions for sellers who do not have a sales permit, could potentially lead to illegal behavior that disregards established principles. The association further pointed out that regulatory delays only benefit illegal operators and result in a reverse discrimination that undermines policy effectiveness.

According to industry estimates, approximately 127,000 tobacco retailers currently adhere to the legally set distance restrictions for lawful tobacco sales. Therefore, only regulating about 4,000 synthetic nicotine e-cigarette retailers is considered discriminatory towards the many small businesses that comply with regulations.

A professional in the industry pointed out that if synthetic nicotine tobacco retailers are exempted from the requirements of designated retailers, then the tobacco retail designation system established to prevent the unregulated circulation of tobacco will be meaningless. They argue that synthetic nicotine tobacco should be classified under the category of tobacco and regulated in the same way.

According to reports, the Planning Ministry will submit requested synthetic nicotine-related materials to the National Planning and Finance Committee on the 17th. Following the submission, it is expected that a group meeting will be held next week to discuss the relevant legislation.