South Korea's New Synthetic Nicotine Regulations May Be Delayed Until Next Year

According to a report by ET News on December 4th, new regulations governing synthetic nicotine tobacco in South Korea are expected to be delayed until next year. The discussion on amending the law has been postponed again by the National Assembly after a public hearing, causing confusion among lawmakers and the government about responsibility for the unprecedented martial law incident, and discussions on public welfare issues will be put on hold.

According to industry and congressional sources, the schedule for a public hearing on the proposed amendment to the Tobacco Business Act concerning the regulation of synthetic nicotine tobacco has not yet been determined by the Economic and Fiscal Committees Planning Committee. At the first meeting of the Economic and Fiscal Subcommittee held on the 27th of last month, ten proposed amendments to the Tobacco Business Act were discussed but not passed due to disagreements among ruling and opposition party members. It was decided thereafter to hold a public hearing to gather input from stakeholders, but progress has been slow.

Currently, the core issue regarding the amendment is whether synthetic nicotine tobacco products should be categorized under tobacco laws. Synthetic nicotine is currently classified as an industrial product rather than tobacco in the existing Tobacco Business Law, therefore it is not subject to relevant regulations.

The South Korean government recently stated that the harm of synthetic nicotine e-cigarettes is equivalent to that of regular tobacco and should be regulated according to the "Tobacco Business Act." However, due to limitations in the legislative process and unresolved issues related to the tax rate of synthetic nicotine tobacco, this proposed legislation has not made substantial progress.

In addition, due to the imposition of martial law and other issues such as the regulation of synthetic nicotine tobacco, it is unlikely that the amendment to the Tobacco Control Act will be passed within the year.

An industry insider commented, "The harmfulness of synthetic nicotine tobacco has been established, and youth organizations and others have strongly called for regulation, so there is consensus on the need for it. The timing will depend on the National Assembly’s discussion schedule, but there is little disagreement on the need for regulation."