According to NewsPeak, the special city of Goyang in South Korea stated that with the revised “Tobacco Industry Law” set to come into effect on April 24, 2026, it has informed all the sales enterprises within its jurisdiction of the relevant contents and urged them to apply for the designation of tobacco retailers.
This revision has expanded the definition of tobacco to include products made from “tobacco or nicotine” as raw materials.
Therefore, some sales points that were previously not classified as tobacco sales under the Tobacco Industry Act and could operate without the designation of tobacco retailers will, after the revision, also be subject to the Tobacco Industry Act in the same way as ordinary traditional tobacco sales points.
Gaoyang City stated that if the related sales business needs to continue after the implementation of the revised law, the necessary documents must be prepared and the specified conditions met by April 23rd, and then an application for designating a tobacco retailer and obtaining the qualification of a tobacco retailer can be submitted.
The detailed information can be found in the “Notice No. 2026-740” on the official website of the Gaoyang Municipal Government. For any inquiries, you can contact the Industry and Health Department of the relevant district office.
However, according to Article 3 of the Supplementary Provisions of the Amended Law, existing sales enterprises will be granted a two-year grace period in terms of distance restrictions.
Gaoyang City also stated that if the selling enterprises, apart from the distance restrictions, fall under the circumstances specified in Article 16, Paragraph 2 of the “Tobacco Industry Law” and Article 5 of the “Regulations on the Designation of Tobacco Retailers in Gaoyang City”, then their designation as tobacco retailers will be restricted. Therefore, the selling points need to carefully review the relevant regulations before submitting an application.
A relevant official from the municipal government stated that all relevant sales outlets must complete the tobacco retailer designation process before the implementation of the revised law, in order to avoid any adverse consequences resulting from failing to obtain the designation as a tobacco retailer.