South Korea to release tobacco hazardous ingredient data for first time, as calls grow to revisit 11-year price freeze

The government will release the results of hazardous ingredient analyses of tobacco products for the first time in October. Whether the disclosure will meaningfully reduce smoking remains uncertain, and calls are growing for broader policy measures — including a cigarette price hike — to complement the move.

According to industry sources Tuesday, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety plans to publish hazardous ingredient content test results for 44 types of combustible and heated tobacco products and 20 types of liquid e-cigarettes next month. The disclosure follows enforcement of the Act on Management of Tobacco Hazardous Substances, which took effect last November.

Under existing laws — the Tobacco Business Act and the National Health Promotion Act — manufacturers were required to print eight carcinogenic substances on cigarette packaging, including tar, nicotine, naphthylamine, nickel and benzene. No separate procedure existed for systematically testing and disclosing hazardous ingredients.

Under the new act, tobacco manufacturers and importers must have each product tested for hazardous ingredients at a designated specialist testing institution every two years and submit the results to the minister of food and drug safety. The ministry plans to publish content levels of key carcinogens and hazardous substances — including benzene, formaldehyde and heavy metals — on its website in the second half of this year.

Enacted in October 2023, the act is regarded as a turning point that raises the regulatory framework by a notch. It strengthens consumers' right to know and lays the groundwork for science-based hazardous substance management. It also positions the government to respond to the diversification of the tobacco market, which now includes heated and liquid e-cigarettes.

However, it remains to be seen whether this non-price regulation — disclosing hazardous ingredient information — will actually reduce smoking. Most adult smokers are already aware of the health risks of tobacco, and providing numerical ingredient data may not be enough to drive behavioral change or encourage cessation.

That has prompted calls to examine other smoking-reduction policy tools, including pricing measures. The WHO recommends tobacco tax increases as the single most effective regulatory tool for reducing tobacco consumption, noting that the effect is particularly pronounced among young people and low-income groups, who are more sensitive to price changes.

Research published in the Journal of the Korean Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco found that cigarette price increases in 2005 and 2015 produced meaningful behavioral changes, including higher rates of transition to non-smoking and lower rates of relapse.

Domestic cigarette prices have not been adjusted in 11 years, since they rose from 2,500 won to 4,500 won in 2015. In the meantime, consumer prices and household incomes have consistently risen, meaning the real financial burden on smokers is lower today than in the past. South Korea's current cigarette price — around $3.50 per pack — stands at roughly one-third of the OECD average of about $10.

"The enforcement of the act is meaningful in that it provides consumers with more transparent information and establishes a government-level framework for managing tobacco hazards," an industry official said. "To achieve the ultimate goals of tobacco regulation policy, effective measures must be pursued — including bringing the price, frozen for 11 years, in line with reality."