South Korea's health ministry to back graphic cigarette labels

South Korea's health ministry on Friday vowed to support a bill that requires graphic warning labels on cigarette packs that depict health risks of tobacco and convince smokers to quit. At a ceremony marking the World No Tobacco Day -- an anti-smoking awareness day established by the World Health Organization (WHO) -- the Ministry of Health and Welfare said it will do its utmost to have the motion pass the National Assembly's provisional session in June.  "The government is responsible for protecting the health and lives of the people, especially adolescents," Health Minister Jin Young said. "That's why mandatory graphic labels on cigarette packs are so important."  Earlier this week, the WHO asked governments to ban all forms of tobacco advertisements to reduce worldwide cigarette consumption ahead of Friday's World No Tobacco Day. The bill calling for graphic cigarette warnings in South Korea was first brought to parliament in 2007 but has failed to gain traction since. The share of South Koreans who smoke fell from 28.8 percent in 2005 to 27 percent in 2011, but the rate hasn't changed since 2008. Analysts said South Korea's anti-smoking tactics may be years behind those of other countries that are exploring more aggressive measures.  In December, Australia introduced its landmark plain packaging rules, which require tobacco products be sold in uniform boxes that carry graphic images of diseased smokers. Britain and New Zealand are considering the same ban on the branding of cigarette packets.  The WHO estimates that tobacco use claims six million lives a year, of which more than 600,000 are nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke.