Government mulls stricter e-cigarette regulations

The government is pushing for stricter legal restrictions on the sale of electronic cigarettes, which is officially classified as a cigarette product, the Finance Ministry said Wednesday.

Finance Minister Choi Kyung-hwan, who concurrently serves as deputy prime minister, told lawmakers in the National Assembly that he would “shortly come up with a comprehensive proposal” on electronic cigarettes, which would ban the products’ explicit advertisement and random blend of nicotine.

Choi stressed that the proposal is fair. He alleges that a variety of hazards due to e-cigarettes have been reported in a year when the product’s popularity has grown. Currently, e-cigarette manufacturers are not legally bound to reveal ingrediants in the product.

According to the health and welfare law, advertisements of tobacco products are only allowed inside authorized stores. However, many local e-cigarette dealers explicitly display advertisements and fliers on open streets. Some smokers were also found to have purchased the nicotine liquid and the fragrant additives separately for lower prices.

“We will see to a comprehensive measure in cooperation with other related ministries,” Choi said.

By Chung Joo-won joowonc@heraldcorp.com)