The Ministry of Health and Welfare has unveiled new and more “disturbing” graphic warnings for heated tobacco products, according to a story in The Korean Times.

Packs of heat-not-burn (HNB), or heated tobacco consumables, will receive new combined graphic and textual warnings similar to those displayed on cigarette packs. The new warnings will picture diseased organs and have been designed to be “disturbing” and more effective than the current warnings in preventing nicotine consumption.
The health warnings currently featured on heated tobacco consumables show an illustration of a syringe and text stating the dangers of tobacco use. These warnings have been described as “unclear and ineffective” and must be replaced by the Ministry’s new warnings by 23 Dec, the newspaper said.
The report stated that the government’s new warnings are intended to inform consumers that heated tobacco products are not less harmful than combustible cigarettes and are not exempt from its stringent health policy related to tobacco use.
The new measures come amid growing popularity of heated tobacco products, with Ministry of Strategy and Finance data showing 20 million packs of HNB consumables were sold in January, representing 8 per cent of the entire tobacco market, the newspaper said.