Assembly passes bill for anti-smoking photos

By Jun Ji-hye

The National Assembly passed a pending bill to force tobacco makers to print warning photos on cigarette packs at the end of an extraordinary session Friday.

Under the approved revision to the National Health Promotion Act, photo warnings will become mandatory after an 18-month grace period.

The photos must account for more than 30 percent of the front and rear of the cigarette packs. Warning photos and phrases together should occupy more than 50 percent.

Cigarette firms violating the law would face up to 10 million won in fines and the loss of their business licenses, while executives would face up to a year in jail.

The bill was originally expected to be approved in February, but foundered before the vote as some lawmakers argued that making warning photos obligatory would be a violation of the rights of smokers.

Rival lawmakers managed to pass the bill this time following the agreement to include a new phrase into the revision that “the warning photos should be based on facts and should not be too disturbing.”

The move to push for anti-smoking photos came with the government’s decision earlier this year to raise tobacco prices by 2,000 won per pack in an effort to reduce the smoking rate.

According to the Health and Welfare Ministry, the visual warning systems have proven effective in many countries: Canada’s smoking rate dropped from 24 to 18 percent after the adoption; and Brazil from 31 percent to 22.4 percent.

The approved revision, however, left room for possible controversy over which photos are “disturbing” and which are not, as the word sounds too subjective.

An official from the ministry said, “In-depth discussion between experts on health and medical treatment, as well as laws, will follow to decide on suitable warning photos.”

Follow Jun Ji-hye on Twitter @TheKopJihye