Sales Of Synthetic Nicotine E-cigarettes in South Korea Have Soared.

According to a recent report released by the Korea Association for Smoking Cessation, the sales of synthetic nicotine e-cigarettes in South Korea increased by 24.6% year-on-year in the third quarter of 2024, reaching 19.9 billion won (14.7 million US dollars). Synthetic nicotine e-cigarettes accounted for 97.2% of the total e-cigarette sales, while natural nicotine e-cigarettes were estimated to account for 2.8%. During the same period, sales of heated tobacco increased by only 2%, and cigarette sales dropped by 3.4%.
In South Korea, natural nicotine extracted from tobacco is subject to tobacco regulations, while synthetic nicotine is not considered tobacco under the current Tobacco Business Act and thus is not subject to marketing restrictions or taxation.

In February 2025, the Planning and Finance Committee of the South Korean National Assembly reviewed a bill that would apply tobacco control measures to synthetic nicotine. However, after the electronic cigarette industry raised doubts about the commercial consequences of the plan and the research results on the harmful effects of synthetic nicotine e-cigarettes, the bill was shelved. Therefore, currently, synthetic nicotine e-cigarettes are still not subject to South Korean tobacco regulations.

According to the data released by the General Administration of Customs of China, in 2024, the total export value of electronic cigarettes from China to South Korea reached 716 million US dollars, ranking third among the top ten export destinations of electronic cigarettes from China, only after the United States (3.7 billion US dollars) and the United Kingdom (1.219 billion US dollars).