[Newsmaker] N. Korea touts nicotine replacement supplements
NATIONAL‘Let’s quit smoking for the future,’ an anti-smoking poster on Meari, a North Korean propaganda news website was published on Monday.
(Meari-Yonhap)People holding Juyeom tea, a dietary supplement made out of natural herbs and tree oil extractions, known to help quit smoking.
(Meari-Yonhap)For many smokers, quitting smoking might be on top of their list of new year’s resolutions, and it appears that North Korea is also no exception.An article titled, “Anti-smoking and our lives” was published on Meari, one of North Korea’s propaganda media websites, on Monday, promoting the nation’s anti-smoking activities, campaigns and research centers specializing in treatments to stop smoking.Since the enactment of an anti-smoking law on Nov. 4. last year that banned smoking in public places, North Korea has been frequently publicizing their efforts through propaganda outlets, as well as putting up no-smoking signs and posters on streets and buildings.On one poster emblazoned with the slogan, “Let’s quit smoking for the future,” it says quitting tobacco is essential for the well-being of oneself and their families.Nicotine replacement therapies as well as dietary supplements were among some of the most widely used methods in North Korea to help smokers kick the habit, according to the article.One of the steady sellers, developed 10 years ago by the nation’s anti-smoking research center, is a supplement dubbed “nutritious eggs.” The white tablets, shaped like marbles, are made out of natural herbs and claims to help people quit smoking while also improving the body’s immune functions.Other aids include nicotine badges, dietary supplements and drinks made from medicinal herbs.
The ingredients and processing methods were made with the country’s patented technology, the article said.The research center also carries out body checks for smokers and offers education programs on how to quit smoking through subsequent counseling sessions, it added.Kim Sung-kyung, a professor at th