South Korea’s National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) formally submitted a petition bearing 1.5 million signatures to support its appeal currently before the Seoul High Court. The NHIS is seeking KRW 53.3 billion (≈ USD 38–40 million) in compensation from KT&G, Philip Morris Korea, and BAT Korea for smoking-related healthcare costs dating back to April 2014.
The petition was delivered on July 25, 2025, and accompanied by a statement from NHIS President Jung Ki-suck, a pulmonologist, highlighting the addictive nature of tobacco and accusing tobacco firms of downplaying smoking risks. Public statements in the petition allege the companies have never taken responsibility despite evidence linking tobacco use to cancer. The case is in appeals following a 2020 decision that deferred damages, citing the need to exclude other contributing risk factors.