"Will You Still Take Charge?"... Ministry of Health and Welfare Launches Smoking Cessation Campaign Ads

Raising Awareness of Misconceptions About E-Cigarette Aerosol
New Campaign Highlights Hidden Dangers
Contradiction Between Good Intentions and Harmful Effects
Aiming to Broaden Public Consensus on E-Cigarette Regulation

The Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea Health Promotion Institute announced on August 31 that they will launch two commercials for the smoking cessation campaign titled "Will You Still Take Charge?" featuring the "aerosol" found in electronic cigarettes. Starting September 1, these ads will be broadcast on TV, online, and across various outdoor media platforms.

2025 2nd Smoking Cessation Campaign 'Will You Still Take Charge?' Advertising Poster. Ministry of Health and Welfare

This campaign marks the second anti-smoking advertisement of the year, following April's campaign aimed at preventing e-cigarette use among people in their teens and twenties. The new ads focus on misconceptions about e-cigarette vapor. By contrasting the act of smoking e-cigarettes near loved ones-out of carelessness or leniency-with the responsibility, affection, and goodwill people take charge of in their daily lives, the campaign asks whether one will still "take charge" by continuing to use e-cigarettes.

The aerosol emitted by e-cigarettes consists of extremely small particulate matter (PM), ranging in diameter from several nanometers (nm) to tens of micrometers (μm), depending on its components. These particles remain suspended in the air and, when inhaled through the respiratory system, can cause cell toxicity, oxidative stress, increased inflammation markers, and lead to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases as well as addiction. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), e-cigarette vapor is not simply water vapor but an aerosol made up of ultra-fine particles containing not only nicotine but also volatile organic compounds, heavy metals, and various carcinogens.

Among the newly released ads, the "Dedicated Pickup Dad" spot highlights the affection of a caring father who is in charge of picking up his young child and their friends. The "Mood Maker" spot focuses on a college student who takes charge of uplifting the mood among friends out of goodwill. However, both ads soon visualize the act of using e-cigarettes in shared spaces, emitting harmful aerosols, and thereby intuitively illustrate the contradiction between positive intentions and e-cigarette use.

The commercials will air from September 1 to October 31 on terrestrial TV, general programming channels, news and cable channels. They will also be available on digital platforms such as YouTube, over-the-top (OTT) streaming services, and social networking services (SNS), as well as in daily life contact points such as KTX and SRT trains, major train stations, apartment elevators, and convenience stores.

Kwak Soonheon, Director of the Health Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, stated, "This second anti-smoking campaign was designed to raise awareness amid the growing trend of complacency and leniency regarding e-cigarette use. Ahead of the enforcement of the 'Tobacco Hazard Management Act' in November, we hope this campaign will increase public awareness of the dangers of tobacco, broaden consensus on e-cigarette regulation, and help close regulatory loopholes in tobacco control."

Kim Heonju, President of the Korea Health Promotion Institute, added, "We hope the advertisements will demonstrate the futility of the 'relatively less harmful tobacco' argument and help correct misconceptions about e-cigarettes."