South Korea is set to change its rules on nicotine products: as of April 24, 2026, following the revision of the Tobacco Business Act by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, all products containing nicotine — including synthetic nicotine — will be reclassified as “tobacco”.

The stated objective is to close a “loophole” that had allowed the sale and promotion of electronic cigarettes and vaping liquids, particularly those containing synthetic nicotine, under a less regulated framework.

As a result of this reclassification, e-cigarette liquids will, for the first time, fully fall under a tobacco-style regulatory regime, with the application of the rules set out in the National Health Promotion Act: mandatory health warnings, strict advertising restrictions, and a ban on labels referring to flavours.

The crackdown also extends to sales through vending machines: these may be used only by authorised retailers, must include age-verification systems, and may be placed exclusively in controlled areas (for example, smoking rooms or adults-only zones).

Violations — including improper advertising, missing health warnings, or non-compliant vending machine placement — may result in fines of up to KRW 10 million (€5,877.88) or up to one year of imprisonment.

In addition, the use of all tobacco products, including electronic cigarettes, will be prohibited in already designated non-smoking areas, with penalties of up to KRW 100,000 (€58.78). The Ministry has announced inspections starting from late April in order to enforce the new rules.

The government has justified this decision on the basis of the growing interest of young people in vaping and the spread of unsupervised vending machines, which are often not equipped with adequate age-verification systems.