South Korea’s unmanned vape stores will increase to 44 in six months. Adult certification programs have been relaxed at some stores, making it easy for teenagers to buy. Experts have called for tighter regulation and the introduction of cell phone number authentication devices.
Unmanned vape shops in Korea have quadrupled in six months
According to News1, Sept. 13, there were only 11 unmanned vape stores at the time, according to a survey conducted by the South Korean government in April this year. However, as of earlier this month, the number had increased dramatically to 44, a fourfold increase in only about six months.
As the number of unmanned stores has dramatically increased, some have reportedly become lax in their adult authentication procedures. Some stores even accept expired ID cards or printed paper ID cards for adult verification.
These stores primarily sell “Vapes”. Unlike traditional tobacco, vape stores can open retail cigarette stores without reporting to local authorities. Many fruit, menthol, and other flavors of vapes are popular among young people. According to the Korea Disease Administration, from 2019 to 2023, about three teenage smokers (32 percent) will be introduced to cigarettes through vapes. In addition, 6 out of 10 youth (60.3%) who used vapes as an entry-level are now mainly absorbing traditional tobacco.
Experts call for stronger adult certification
Currently, vapes are not categorized as “regular cigarettes” under current law and cannot be adequately controlled. At the same time, such products do not require warning labels or harmful literature and are not subject to excise taxes and other fees on cigarettes.
Experts say that including vapes in the current system and collecting excise tax can effectively reduce the rate of smoking among young people.
Lee Sung-kyu, director of the Korea Tobacco Control Research and Education Center, said:
- “Currently, vapes come in various forms, such as watches, highlighters, car keys, AirPods, etc., and it is difficult for parents’ eyes to distinguish them. If we adopt the same regulatory measures as regular cigarettes and tax them as soon as possible. The purchase rate of price-sensitive teenagers will be greatly reduced.”
In addition, some believe that adult authentication devices should be set up at the entrance of unmanned stores. Lee Sung-kyu emphasized, “Adult authentication devices need to be introduced at the entrances of unmanned cigarette stores through cell phone numbers. Many unmanned cigarette stores have open doors.”
