‘One million Korean smokers switched to IQOS’
Over 1 million smokers in Korea have stopped smoking combustible cigarettes and switched to IQOS, since Phillip Morris officially launched the heated tobacco product here in June last year, the international tobacco maker’s local subsidiary said Wednesday.
According to Phillip Morris Korea, HEETS, the tobacco products used exclusively with IQOS, also accounted for a 7.3 percent share of the nation’s cigarette market as of the first quarter this year, increased from a 0.2 percent share in the second quarter last year.
“I am pleased to see that our vision to replace cigarettes with science-based smoke-free products is becoming a reality in Korea at an unprecedented speed,” Philip Morris Korea managing director Chong Il-woo said at a press conference that day.
“We will continue to lead this positive change by offering better alternatives to cigarettes for people who would otherwise continue to smoke.”
The company also announced HEETS produced in the Yangsan factory in South Gyeongsang Province will hit the shelves this year, as Asia’s first manufacturing plant for the heated tobacco product began operation.
The tobacco firm, however, is concerned about the graphic warnings required to be put on HEETS packages beginning in December, claiming the picture content will mislead smokers into going back to ordinary cigarettes which are alleged to be more harmful than the heat-not-burn (HNB) tobacco products.
Chong said his company is considering taking action against the government’s policy.
Nikolaus Ricketts, director of reduced risk products for Philip Morris Korea, pointed out the only country putting graphic warnings on HNB tobacco packages is Colombia, but he added the South American country’s content is relevant, because it only warns of the product’s risks to pregnant women.
Phillip Morris said its international headquarters is conducting extensive research, including clinical studies, to prove that IQOS reduces health risks to smokers.