South Korea vape show canceled over health concerns

South Korea's health ministry says several public protection provisions are not being followed in the organization of the annual trade show dedicated to vaping and e-cigarettes.

The fourth Korea Vape Show 2023, the annual gathering of e-cigarette manufacturers, is scheduled to take place at Kintex in the city of Goyang from July 21 to 23. However, its cancellation was requested on July 12 by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, "with a view to promoting health"[1].

Presence of teenagers and vaping competitions called into question

In a letter to the organizers, the ministry claims that many teenagers are likely to attend the show if entrances are not controlled. It also denounces the fact that competitions, on an open stage, of vaping clouds are organized during the show, in violation of the regulations on vaping in public places. Photos of these competitions are also relayed on the website of the organizers of the show.

Apparently, since it cannot cancel it itself, the Ministry of Health is threatening to carry out a control mission during the first day of the fair and to impose fines in the event of violation of the law. The latter stipulates in particular that the consumption of electronic cigarettes must be strictly limited to enclosed spaces dedicated to this purpose.

Organizers reluctant to implement protective measures

Following this letter, Kintex itself wrote three times to the organizers to ask them to cancel the show. The latter responded in the negative and mentioned that they had taken the necessary measures, without wanting to detail them despite reminders. They claimed that none of the three previous editions had been contested by the local public health officials who had visited them. However, local information revealed that, in previous editions, the organizers had avoided sanctions for violating the regulations in force because they had temporarily suspended this type of competition during inspection visits.

Keywords: South Korea, Korea Vape Show 2023, electronic cigarettes.

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