Imports of nicotine-free e-cigarette liquid in South Korea more than doubled to $9.2 million in the first eight months of 2026 from $4.5 million a year earlier, as consumers shifted toward products that remain outside the country’s tobacco regulations. The increase follows an April amendment to the Tobacco Business Act that brought products containing natural or synthetic nicotine under the tobacco regulatory framework, while nicotine analogues and nicotine-free liquids remain largely unregulated.
Online listings for liquid e-cigarettes also increased 86.3% to 42,437 as of Aug. 8 from 22,774 before the law took effect, according to the Korea Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education. Meanwhile, imports of synthetic nicotine liquid plunged 97% to $2.8 million from May through August, compared with $89.3 million in the first four months of the year. Government officials are considering broader regulation after the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety completes an assessment of nicotine analogues by the end of 2026.
