South Korea to open new tobacco research institute

The government of South Korea is due next month to open a research institute that will ‘study the ingredients in tobacco and assess the harmful effects of smoking,’ according to a story in The Korea Times.

According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDCP), which is part of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the institute will be set up at the KCDCP’s headquarters in Osong, North Chungcheong Province, at the end of October.

Data generated by the institute is expected to be used in the government’s lawsuit against tobacco companies over compensation for the healthcare costs linked to smoking-related diseases.

Its major objectives will include analyzing the ingredients and additives in cigarettes and their smoke, and assessing the damage caused by second-hand exposure to tobacco smoke, the ministry was quoted as saying.

Such studies had so far been conducted by private institutes or tobacco manufacturers, and had often faced criticism for lacking credibility, a KCDCP official said.

“Government-level studies so far have focused on epidemiological research, but the new institute will concentrate on discovering any direct correlation between smoking and health hazards,” he said.

“Study results will be used for setting up anti-smoking policies and as evidence for the ongoing suit.”