S.Korea warns against "grave threat" from liquid e-cigarettes (updated)

KT&G

23/10/2019 04:03

(Adds details, quote, reaction from Juul)
    SEOUL, Oct 23 (Reuters) - South Korea's health minister on
Wednesday "strongly advised" the public to stop using liquid
e-cigarettes as growing health concerns fuel a global backlash
against vaping.
    Countries around the world have been pulling electronic
cigarette products from markets and restricting advertising as
vaping faces increased scrutiny.
    "The current situation is considered as a grave threat to
public health," South Korea's health minister Park Neung-hoo
told a briefing, citing cases of lung injuries associated with
e-cigarette use in the United States.
    Park said the government would expedite its own studies to
determine if there was a scientific basis to ban sales of liquid
e-cigarettes.  
    U.S. health officials have so far reported 33 deaths and
1,479 confirmed and probable cases from a mysterious respiratory
illness tied to vaping.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL3N272453
    A pneumonia case of a South Korean e-cigarette user was
reported this month, the health ministry said. 
    The United States has announced plans to remove flavoured
e-cigarettes from stores, citing alarming growth in teenage use
of the products  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL2N27216Y
    India also discontinued the sale of e-cigarettes in
September.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL5N26A0EZ
    South Korea's health ministry also vowed to tighten
regulations on vaping products such as strengthening customs
procedures for imported liquid of e-cigarettes.
    Following the government's decision, the Korea office of
U.S. e-cigarette maker Juul Labs said in a statement their
products had no harmful substances. Juul began sales in South
Korea in May.
    E-cigarettes - both liquid and the heat-not-burn types - are
widely available in South Korea, accounting for 13% of its
tobacco market by sales as of June, according to government
data.

 (Reporting by Sangmi Cha; Editing by Ju-min Park and Lincoln
Feast.)
 ((Sangmi.Cha@thomsonreuters.com; +82 2 3704 5646; Reuters
Messaging: sangmi.cha.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))