KBS News Disclosure of cigarette toxins / KBS 2025.11.13.

[Anchor]

The types and amounts of harmful substances contained in cigarettes will be detailed and disclosed as early as the second half of next year.

This will not be limited to just indicating tar and nicotine levels, but will require testing and reporting of forty-four different substances.

Reporter Park Min-kyung has the details.

[Report]

Cigarette packaging currently only displays eight harmful substances, including tar and nicotine.

The amounts of other substances remain unknown.

In response, the government has decided to specifically identify harmful substances and mandate testing and disclosure of these substances.

For heated tobacco products and electronic cigarettes, forty-four harmful substances, including tar, nicotine, carbon monoxide, and acetone, have been designated, while twenty harmful substances, including nicotine and formaldehyde, have been designated for liquid electronic cigarettes.

As a result, tobacco manufacturers and importers will be required to conduct harmful substance testing every two years and submit the results to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.

The Ministry plans to disclose the results of these tests on its website as early as the second half of next year.

Most smokers have expressed skepticism about the government’s policy.

[Smoker in their 20s: “I think it might raise some awareness at first, but those who smoke will probably continue to smoke anyway.”]

[Smoker in their 30s: “Even if they disclose more information, I don’t think it will have much significance.”]

There are concerns that the disclosure of test results could be used as information to choose ‘less harmful’ cigarettes, potentially hindering efforts to reduce smoking rates.

[Lee Seong-kyu/Director of the Korea Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education: “People might think, ‘A (cigarette) is less dangerous than B (cigarette).’ The question is how to minimize misunderstandings among smokers when this information is disclosed.”]

The government plans to continuously increase the number of harmful substances subject to testing.

The conclusion of the appeal in the tobacco lawsuit filed by the National Health Insurance Service against tobacco companies is expected to be announced in mid-January next year.

This is KBS News, Park Min-kyung.

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