Source: Korean media news1
People's Daily News The warning pictures and text of Korean cigarette boxes will be replaced from December 23, and the newly packaged cigarettes are expected to be officially sold in major retail stores by the end of January 2021.
According to the Korean media "Joint Ilbo", the South Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Institute of Health Promotion and Development stated on the 21st that the warning pictures and texts of cigarette boxes will be replaced from the 23rd. According to the implementation order of South Korea's National Health Promotion Law, the warning pictures and text of cigarette boxes need to be replaced every 24 months. The second batch of cigarette warning pictures and texts currently in use in South Korea will expire on the 22nd of this month.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare of South Korea stated that among the 12 types of smoking are harmful to health, 9 will be replaced, and 3 will remain unchanged. The new pictures include lung cancer, oral cancer, tooth discoloration, etc., which more vividly convey the harm of smoking. Heart disease, shortened lifespan, smoking for pregnant women, and second-hand smoke were also selected as the new themes of the picture, and the three types of throat cancer and tobacco-type electronic cigarettes remain unchanged. The warnings printed on the cigarette box will be more streamlined and powerful, that is, from "the risk of lung cancer is 26 times the maximum, do you still need to smoke?" to "the risk of lung cancer is 26 times the maximum."
periodically replaces the cigarette box warning pictures and text, which can effectively enhance the smoking control effect. Relevant statistics show that from 2016 to 2019, the sales of cigarettes in South Korea were decreasing year by year. South Korea's cigarette sales in 2016 were 3.66 billion boxes, 3.52 billion boxes in 2017, 3.47 billion boxes in 2018, and 3.45 billion boxes in 2019. The smoking rate among adult men in South Korea also dropped from 40.7% in 2016 to 36.7% in 2018.
Relevant person in charge of the Korean Health and Welfare Department said that he hopes that the updated warning pictures and texts can help citizens to be alerted that smoking is harmful to health. In addition, it is planned to enlarge the warning pictures and texts on the packaging of cigarette boxes, increasing from 50% of the area of cigarette boxes to 75%. (Translated by: Shen Yuhuan, Intern Liu Jiayi, Reviewed by: Li Meiyu)
Source: People's Daily
