South Korea to Tighten Synthetic Nicotine Regulations: Reclassifies as Tobacco, Bans Online Sales and Flavor Additives

Key Points:

·The South Korean National Assembly agency has proposed strengthening regulations on synthetic nicotine. 

·The rising rate of e-cigarette use among teenagers has raised concerns in society.

·Legislative proposals include banning online e-cigarette transactions. 

·There are calls to revise relevant laws to protect the health of teenagers.

According to a report by South Korea's "Asian Economy" on June 12th, as the trend of teenagers using e-cigarettes continues to rise, the Legislation Investigation Office of the National Assembly of South Korea has proposed that synthetic nicotine, which is currently in a regulatory blind spot, should be included in tobacco regulations.

The legislative body recently released a report suggesting amendments to the Tobacco Industry Law to broaden the definition of "tobacco" and ban online sales of e-cigarettes. Current law only considers naturally nicotine-containing products made from "tobacco leaves" as tobacco, leaving most liquid e-cigarettes that use synthetic nicotine outside the legal definition of tobacco. This loophole allows them to avoid tobacco taxes and online sales restrictions.

The report recommends expanding the definition of "tobacco" to include products made from nicotine, prohibiting online trading of synthetic nicotine, and strengthening regulation. The report also mentions that countries and regions such as the United States, United Kingdom, and the European Union have already regulated synthetic nicotine and banned the addition of flavors in order to prevent youth access to e-cigarettes.

Previously, the South Korean National Assembly has had several proposed bills to expand the definition of tobacco in order to regulate synthetic nicotine, which have been discussed in the National Assembly Planning and Finance Committee, but have not yet been passed.

The Legislative Investigation Bureau warned, "With the rapid expansion of unmanned e-cigarette sales points, public concerns about adolescent e-cigarette use are increasing." They suggested that regulations in the National Health Promotion Law regarding automatic cigarette vending machines should be applied to prevent the disorderly expansion of such unmanned sales points. In addition, they recommended that legislation should mandate the introduction of adult authentication devices equipped with identity theft prevention technology and amend the Youth Protection Act.

The organization also proposed banning the use of sweeteners or flavorings in the manufacturing of synthetic nicotine products, as many teenagers have started smoking due to flavored e-cigarettes.

At the same time, it is necessary for the government to make efforts to strengthen self-regulation by businesses in order to reduce the display of tobacco products on online video platforms such as YouTube.