The Rebuilding Korea Party also jumped into the dispute over the "sugar levy" sparked by President Lee Jae-myung. A proposal emerged to introduce a sugar levy limited to sweetened beverages and use the proceeds to promote the health of children and adolescents.
Kim Sun-min, a Rebuilding Korea Party lawmaker on the National Assembly Health and Welfare Committee, held a forum titled "The need for and issues around introducing a sugar levy" at the National Assembly Members' Office Building on the 10th. The forum was held as debate over a sugar levy gained momentum after President Lee Jae-myung recently used social media to propose curbing sugar use and reinvesting the proceeds.
Lawmaker Kim Sun-min said, "Health problems caused by excessive sugar intake can no longer be left as an individual matter," adding, "The bill we introduced is not a sugar tax but a sugar levy, and it makes clear that it targets sweetened beverages, not all foods. The proceeds will be used to prevent and manage obesity and chronic diseases and to strengthen essential public health care in local communities." Kim introduced an amendment to the National Health Promotion Act late last month that includes these measures.
Park Eun-cheol, a professor at the Yonsei University Institute of Health Policy and Management who presented the keynote, said, "The reason sweetened beverages should be the primary target of regulation lies in absorption speed and health risks," explaining, "Unlike solid foods, sugars in liquid form are rapidly absorbed into the body, causing blood sugar to spike, and when this process repeats, the risks of diabetes and obesity rise significantly."
Park added, "Sweetened beverages do not create a feeling of fullness, so they easily lead to overconsumption and are the largest source of sugar for adolescent obesity," and said, "In fact, among the daily sugar intake of adolescents in Korea, sweetened beverages account for the highest share, and obesity prevalence is higher particularly among low-income groups. Since more than 75% of adolescent obesity leads to adult obesity, the side effects are considerable."
Park continued, "When designing a sugar levy system, the United Kingdom should be the reference model. The U.K. induced corporations to change their recipes by imposing tiered levies based on the sugar content of sweetened beverages, and it actually achieved reductions in sugar content in drinks," adding, "Because the price elasticity of sweetened beverages is close to 1, consumption falls as prices rise. In that process, voluntary improvements by corporations can also be encouraged."
Park said, "The uses of a sugar levy must be clear. We must not forget that the primary aim of this system is to protect the health of children and adolescents," stressing, "Funds raised by the levy should be concentrated on improving school athletics and meals and on programs to prevent obesity among children and adolescents. The purpose of this levy is not 'to collect,' but to aim for it to become zero in the long term."
The subsequent discussion raised calls for caution regarding consumer burdens and the design of the system. Kang Jeong-hwa, president of the Korea Consumer Federation, said, "A sugar levy could effectively be perceived as a tax, and the burden could ultimately be passed on to consumer prices, leading to price increases," adding, "We need to devise complementary measures that can reduce consumption while lowering individuals' burdens. And because of concerns about burdens on low-income groups, it is important to design the system so that the proceeds are properly used to promote public health and close regional gaps."
Gi Yong-gi, director of the Food and Drug Safety Policy Division for Diet and Nutrition at the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, said, "We agree with the intent, but because social expense is involved, sufficient public consensus should come first," adding, "The current bill excludes alternative sweeteners, and if the system is introduced without them, consumption could shift to alternative sweeteners like a 'balloon effect,' so discussion on this point will be needed going forward."