Harmful Substances in Cigarettes to Be Verified by Government and Disclosed Starting in October

Cigarette Manufacturers and Importers Required to Submit Test Results on Harmful Substances by End of Month
Ministry of Food and Drug Safety to Develop Analysis Methods for New Tobacco Products Including Synthetic Nicotine

In the future, consumers will be able to directly verify which harmful substances are contained in cigarettes sold on the market through scientific data validated by the government.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced on January 16 that it has established and will actively implement the "2026 Major Work Plan," which centers on the systematic management and disclosure of harmful substances in cigarettes, in accordance with the "Tobacco Harmful Substances Management Act" that took effect in November last year.

The tobacco harmful substances management system was established to guarantee the public's right to know and to protect people's health from the dangers of tobacco by regulating overall management matters, such as inspecting harmful substances contained in cigarettes and disclosing information about these substances.

According to the work plan, cigarette manufacturers and importers must, by the end of this month, commission authorized institutions to test for harmful substances in conventional cigarettes and heat-not-burn cigarettes (44 types), as well as liquid-type electronic cigarettes (20 types), and submit the results to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.

To this end, the Ministry will open an electronic system within this month and begin building a database (DB) to systematically manage the submitted data. In anticipation of a surge in testing demand, the Ministry also plans to significantly expand related infrastructure, such as designating additional testing institutions accredited to International Organization for Standardization (ISO 17025) requirements.

The results of harmful substance tests on cigarettes, conducted using scientific methods certified by the government, will be made public in October after deliberation and resolution by the 'Tobacco Harmful Substances Management Policy Committee.' The information on harmful substances in cigarettes that is disclosed will also be shared through social networking services (SNS) and other platforms to ensure it is easily understood by the public.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety will also develop testing methods for harmful substances in new types of tobacco products. Starting April 24, it will apply an analysis method for harmful substances in liquid-type electronic cigarettes containing synthetic nicotine, and will continue to develop and standardize analysis methods for other tobacco products not currently subject to testing under the Tobacco Harmful Substances Management Act, such as leaf-wrapped cigars, water pipes, and nicotine pouches.

Oh Yu-kyoung, Commissioner of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, stated, "Based on the implementation of the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, we will focus on providing the public with accurate information on the harmful substances in tobacco, and through science-based tobacco harmful substances management policies, we will protect public health and contribute to smoking prevention and the creation of a smoke-free environment."