Why no warnings on alcohol?

The tobacco industry in South Korea is questioning the fairness of requiring new graphic warning labels to be applied to cigarette packs by the end of the year, according to a story in The Korea Herald.

Industry officials were quoted as saying that it was unfair to force cigarettes to carry such graphic warnings but not to require them on other harmful products such as alcohol.

“We have no choice but to follow the law once it’s implemented, but the images are overly graphic, beyond the point where they can be effective,” a spokesperson for a cigarette manufacturer who asked not to be identified was said to have told the Herald.

Tobacco manufacturers were said to have pointed out that packaging for alcohol was not required to carry such warnings.

But according to a study by the Health Insurance Policy Research Institute, alcohol has bigger socioeconomic costs than does tobacco. As of 2013, alcohol created 9.45 trillion won ($8.2 billion) of socioeconomic costs, while tobacco created 7.12 trillion won of costs.

‘However, bottles for commonly consumed types of alcohol such as soju often feature light-hearted depictions of the most in-demand celebrities,’ the Herald said.