A view of an e-cigarette store in Seoul. Photo for illustrative purposes. News1
Four out of 10 e-cigarette vending machines in Seoul fail to properly screen out forged or altered identification cards, according to a city inspection. Critics say the adult-verification systems designed to block access by minors are effectively not functioning.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government released the results of an intensive inspection of e-cigarette retailers in the city on Wednesday. The inspection was conducted over two months, from April 24 to June 23, during a grace period following a revision to the Tobacco Business Act.
Of the 415 e-cigarette vending machines identified by the city, 339 were capable of adult verification through ID cards. However, 168 of those machines (40.5%) approved verification even with forged or altered IDs.
To test the machines’ ability to detect forgery, the city created five types of ID cards: one resident registration card featuring a photo of the cartoon character “Dooly,” two resident registration cards with photos of fictional adult men and women, and two driver’s licenses.
As a result, 112 machines recognized all five of the forged IDs prepared by the city as valid. Concluding that the vending machines’ adult-verification systems do not adequately perform their youth-protection function, the city recommended that relevant agencies improve the system.
Only 1 in 3 Displayed Warning Notices; Many Tobacco Ads Visible From Outside
The inspection also found that youth sales bans and tobacco advertising management were generally inadequate.
The city inspected 666 e-cigarette retailers for compliance with sales, advertising and youth-protection regulations. Of these, 190 stores, or 28.5% of the total, installed and operated vending machines.
Under the Youth Protection Act, “no sales to minors” warning notices must be posted inside tobacco retail outlets and on vending machines. But only 390 outlets (58.6%) had posted the warning inside their stores. Among stores operating vending machines, only 63 of 190 (33.2%) displayed the warning.
Even where notices were posted, many failed to meet the required standards. The inspection found that 40.3% of stores posting notices inside their outlets and 30.2% of stores posting notices on vending machines used notices that did not comply with the standards.
Tobacco advertising management was also lax. Among the retailers surveyed, 375 displayed e-cigarette advertisements inside their stores, and 254 of these (67.7%) had ads visible from outside. The National Health Promotion Act stipulates that tobacco advertisements must not be exposed outside business premises.
Liquid E-Cigarette Use Rising; 5,956 Guidance Actions in No-Smoking Zones
During the inspection period, the city also carried out a total of 5,956 on-site guidance actions against liquid e-cigarette smoking in no-smoking zones. Under the revised Tobacco Business Act, once the grace period ends, liquid e-cigarettes will also be prohibited in no-smoking zones.
Liquid e-cigarette use has been steadily increasing. The usage rate among adult men in Seoul roughly doubled from 3.4% in 2022 to 6.5% this year. Among adolescents, the liquid e-cigarette usage rate reached 2.4% in 2025, exceeding the conventional cigarette smoking rate (2.2%) for the first time.
Based on the inspection results, the city conveyed to relevant agencies its view that institutional supplements are needed, including improvements to the adult-verification systems on tobacco vending machines and a revision of the enforcement rules of the National Health Promotion Act. The city plans to send notices requesting improvements to adult-verification systems to businesses operating vending machines, and to produce standard-compliant “no sales to minors” warning notices for distribution to e-cigarette retailers within its jurisdiction.
“For the expansion of liquid e-cigarette regulations to be effective, changes on the ground must accompany the overhaul of laws and systems,” said Cho Young-chang, director general of the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Citizens’ Health Bureau. “Seoul will continue diverse efforts, from on-site guidance to urging the industry’s self-purification efforts, and take the lead in creating a smoke-free environment that puts citizens’ health first.”