South Korea Defines Synthetic Nicotine as "Tobacco"
On December 2, South Korea’s National Assembly passed a major amendment to the Tobacco Business Act, classifying e-liquid made with synthetic nicotine as tobacco and closing a long-criticized legal loophole. The amendment was part of 79 livelihood-related
South Korea’s National Assembly passed a major amendment to the Tobacco Business Act on December 2, classifying e-liquid containing synthetic nicotine as “tobacco” and closing a long-criticized legal loophole. The tobacco law amendment was part of 79 livelihood-related bills and 16 budget measures passed during this session.
Officials said the move is designed to fix a regulatory gap that allowed synthetic nicotine, which is said to account for 95% of the market, to be widely used without taxation or consistent public health oversight. Lawmakers expect the reform to generate about 930.1 billion won (about US$632 million) in new tax revenue once implemented. The measure had repeatedly been blocked since 2016 due to “industry opposition,” but this time it passed smoothly with bipartisan support in the plenary session.
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