SOUTH KOREA. Lotte Duty Free has halted the sale of flavoured liquid e-cigarettes in its stores effective from 28 October. It is a response to a government move to discourage use of the products. Separately, The Shilla Duty Free said it had halted orders (though not sales) of leading liquid e-cigarette brands.
Leading domestic market convenience store operators have also stopped taking orders for flavoured liquid e-cigarettes, with GS Retail, the leading player, suspending their sale on 24 October.
The brands removed from sale in its stores, Lotte Duty Free confirmed, are:
Juul Labs (4 lines)
SiiD Tundra (one line, Lil Vapour)
Phix (three lines)
Viento (four lines)
Shilla has stopped taking order of lines that include Juul Starter, Crisp, Tropical, Delight and SiiD Tundra.
Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety issued a strong recommendation against the use of liquid e-cigarettes on 23 October. The advisory claimed there was evidence that prolonged use of these products could cause lung disorder and death. The government plans to introduce wider obligations for brands to provide information on ingredients to consumers. It also aims to pass regulations to strengthen tobacco product safety regulations by the end of the year.
The government is continuing a study on the health consequence of liquid e-cigarettes and will announce the results in the first half of 2020.
Brands have also already responded. KT&G announced the production suspension of SIID Tundra, the e-cigarette cartridges used in its vaping product Lil Vapour, on 28 October.
