South Korea’s health minister on Wednesday “strongly advised” the public to stop using liquid e-cigarettes as growing health concerns fuelled a global backlash against vaping.
Health minister Park Neung-hoo said in a news briefing that “the current situation is considered as a grave threat to public health” while noting that there had been suspected cases of “lung damage” reported in South Korea. He added that the government would expedite its own studies to determine if there was a scientific basis to ban sales of liquid e-cigarettes.
Countries around the world have been pulling electronic cigarette products from markets and restricting advertising as vaping faces increased scrutiny. U.S. health officials have so far reported 33 deaths and 1,479 confirmed and probable cases from a mysterious respiratory illness tied to vaping.
Following South Korea’s decision, the Korean office of U.S. e-cigarette maker Juul Labs said in a statement their products had no harmful substances. Juul began sales in South Korea in May.
