The Ministry of the Interior and Safety in Korea is taking a significant step to support households in crisis by collaborating with Philip Morris Korea. The Ministry and Philip Morris Korea agreed on including informative messages inside the packaging of four major products from Philip Morris Korea to inform consumers about available support services.

The initiative aims to assist individuals facing social and economic difficulties by directing them to the Health and Welfare Counseling Center (dial 129) or local government offices for comprehensive counseling, emergency welfare support, and essential supplies.

This measure follows the ‘Crisis Household Discovery Promotion’ agreement signed with Philip Morris Korea in July, marking a first in the tobacco industry.

The products featuring these informative messages include:

• Heated Tobacco Sticks: TEREA Purple Wave, TEREA Blue (for IQOS ILUMA)
• Regular Cigarettes: Marlboro Gold, Marlboro Red

From January next year, the Ministry plans to extend this initiative to all 50 products from Philip Morris Korea.

Additionally, the ministry and the company have been broadcasting these informative messages on digital advertising boards in 1,400 convenience stores nationwide to further raise awareness among consumers.

Koo Bon-geun, Head of the Smart Welfare Safety Community Promotion Team, stated, “One of the main causes of welfare blind spots is the lack of publicity about support for households in crisis,” and added, “We will expand cooperation with various companies to identify and support households in crisis.”

A representative from Philip Morris Korea stated, “It is very meaningful that our products can be actively used to alleviate welfare blind spots and raise social awareness about crisis households. As a corporate citizen, we will continue to pay close attention and contribute to places in need of help.”

Contact:Jongmin Shimjmshim@hahmpartners.com