New Korean center to study health effects of smoking

South Korea’s Ministry of Health plans to set up its own research center dedicated to studying the effects of smoking on health, according to a story in The Korea Times.

The ministry said yesterday that the research center, which would be supervised by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDCP), would open ‘as early as July’.

The Times said that while the health risks of tobacco were well-known, authorities in South Korea had had to rely largely on other countries’ research data when making policies about smoking and managing court disputes over issues relating to it because they did not have their own data.

Now, in co-operation with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the KCDCP would look into how components of cigarette smoke affected the human body.

The ministry said it had already secured WON4 billion ($35 million) for the project.

The information generated by the research center is expected to be used to help the ministry in its efforts to reduce the country’s smoking rate.

In addition, though the ministry did not mention a WON53.7 billion damages suit that was filed last year by the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) against tobacco companies, the Times story said that data from the new research center was expected to support the NHIS’ case.

The fourth court hearing in the case is scheduled for May 15.