British American Tobacco plans to launch synthetic nicotine e-cigarettes, and South Korea may become the world's first launch region

British American Tobacco plans to launch synthetic nicotine e-cigarettes, and South Korea may become the world's first launch region

British American Tobacco plans to launch a new type of synthetic nicotine e-cigarette in South Korea, using legal loopholes to evade taxes and sell it to consumers at reduced prices. It also said it has invested heavily in research and development to improve product quality.

According to South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported on May 8, global tobacco company British American Tobacco Group (BAT) plans to launch new synthetic nicotine e-cigarette products as early as the third quarter of this year.

It is understood that Rothmans, the Korean subsidiary of British American Tobacco Group, said on the same day that the company is considering launching synthetic nicotine e-cigarettes, but it is still in the preparation stage and the specific release time and product specifications are not yet clear.

It is worth mentioning that the only place in the world where British American Tobacco Group is considering launching synthetic nicotine e-cigarettes is South Korea. This is because synthetic nicotine e-cigarettes are not subject to tobacco business regulations in South Korea, which is its special market environment.

According to the Tobacco Business Regulations, only products containing tobacco leaves as raw materials are defined as tobacco, so synthetic nicotine tobacco is not considered tobacco. Not only can it be sold and promoted online, but there is no need to put warning texts and pictures on it. Additionally, there are no penalties for selling to minors. Synthetic nicotine e-cigarettes are also not subject to taxation and surcharges.

In response, BAT hinted that it would sell the new e-cigarettes at a lower price than existing e-cigarettes. A person related to BAT Rothmans said, "If we save taxes and surcharges on synthetic nicotine products, we will provide this discount to consumers."

Regarding the view that synthetic nicotine e-cigarettes may become a "loophole" in the current law, BAT Rothmans said in a statement that the company agrees that "synthetic nicotine tobacco should be subject to the same regulations as ordinary tobacco" and supports the introduction of reasonable regulations.

They also said, "Regardless of whether tobacco regulations on synthetic nicotine are implemented, Korea's various tobacco regulation policies related to health will be voluntarily adhered to." They promised to avoid design elements that attract minors and strictly comply with adult regulations. certification system for people to conduct responsible sales activities. It also said, "The company is investing more than 500 billion won in annual investment and about 50 billion won in R&D funds to improve the capabilities of the R&D innovation center. Based on R&D technology, safe and high-quality products will be launched."