Application of 5th Phase Cigarette Pack Health Warning Images and Text Starting from the 23rd
Warning images and texts on cigarette packs will be newly changed starting from the 23rd.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced on the 22nd that the 5th phase cigarette pack health warning images and texts, which were notified last June, will be applied from the 23rd after a six-month grace period.
The newly changed cigarette pack health warnings were selected by comprehensively considering visibility and message delivery to clearly recognize the health damage caused by the use of various tobacco products such as cigarettes and electronic cigarettes.
Among a total of 12 types (10 for cigarettes, 2 for electronic cigarettes) of warning images, 2 types (eye diseases and peripheral vascular diseases) for cigarettes were changed, increasing the overall proportion of images themed on lesions that can occur due to smoking. In addition, the number of warning images for electronic cigarettes (cigarette-type and liquid-type) was increased from 1 to 2.
Also, the warning texts on cigarette packs for cigarettes were changed from word-type expressions to sentence-type expressions, figuratively expressing the occurrence of diseases and health risks caused by smoking. The two types of electronic cigarette warnings maintain the current texts ("Nicotine addiction, exposure to carcinogens!").
The new warning images and texts will be applied to cigarettes shipped from manufacturing plants or bonded areas starting on the 23rd, so cigarettes with the changed health warnings are expected to be sold at convenience stores and other retail outlets around the end of January next year.
The new cigarette pack health warning images and texts were developed by comprehensively considering domestic and international research results and case analyses, national sample surveys, and the effectiveness of health warnings. They were finalized after four reviews by the Smoking Cessation Policy Expert Committee, administrative notice, and review and reporting by the National Health Promotion Policy Committee. According to the National Health Promotion Act, the 5th phase cigarette pack health warning images and texts will be applied for two years until December 22, 2026.
Cigarette pack health warnings are a representative tobacco regulation policy that induces smokers to quit smoking and prevents non-smokers from starting by displaying health damage caused by smoking in images or texts on cigarette packs. First introduced in Canada in 2001, it is currently implemented in 138 countries as of 2023, and in Korea, it has been implemented since December 23, 2016, with warning images and texts changed every two years.
Jung Hye-eun, Director of the Health Promotion Division at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, said, "The new cigarette pack health warnings were selected to make the risks of smoking more tangible than before through warning images and texts," adding, "We hope this will serve as an opportunity to remind everyone once again that all tobacco products are harmful to health and the necessity of quitting smoking."
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