South Korea to ‘Refresh’ Graphic Warnings

In December 2024, South Korea will mandate new graphic health warnings on cigarette packs, reports mk.co.kr .

The new warning pictures and phrases, the fifth approved set under the National Health Promotion Act, will be applied Dec. 23, 2024, through Dec. 22, 2026. The fourth approved set of warnings expires on Dec. 22, 2024.

The new warnings replace two out of 10 types of pictures on cigarette packs, increasing the proportion of the disease depicted, and the phrase changes from a word to a sentence.

For e-cigarettes, the subject of the warning pictures will increase from one to two, but the warning phrases will remain the same.

“The fifth warning picture and phrase comprehensively considered the analysis of domestic and foreign policy studies, public surveys and opinions of related experts,” said Jeong Yeon-hee, head of the Health Promotion Division at the Ministry of Health and Welfare. “We set it as an effective plan to prevent smoking and induce smoking cessation by utilizing the purpose of introducing the cigarette pack health warning notation system.”