South Korean Military Bans Atomized Vaping Devices to Protect Soldiers' Health

South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense said on the 11th that atomized vaping devices are prohibited from being possessed or used in military camps.

Ministry of National Defense spokesperson Choi Hyun-soo said at a press briefing: “With service members’ health in mind, we issued guidelines last month strongly urging them not to use atomized vaping devices.”

Yonhap News quoted another military official as saying that under these guidelines, atomized vaping devices are banned from being brought into military camps or used there until a causal relationship between lung disease and atomized vaping devices is confirmed.

The report said that if any suspected cases of severe lung injury related to vaping devices are found among service members, the military should report them to South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense in accordance with the guidelines of the relevant disease control authorities.

Last month, South Korea’s Ministry of Health and Welfare cited multiple vaping-related cases in the United States and advised the public to stop using atomized vaping devices, while also pledging to determine as soon as possible whether sales of vaping products should be banned.

Last month, South Korea reported a case of vaping-related pneumonia involving a patient in his 30s. Earlier this month, another suspected vaping-related respiratory illness case was also reported.

Since 2015, South Korea has banned smoking in indoor places such as restaurants and cafes. Countries including the United States, Australia, Brazil, India, and Japan have also taken measures to ban or restrict the sale of certain vaping products.