Tobacco company Philip Morris Korea announced Wednesday that it will bring its smoke-free, heated tobacco product IQOS to Seoul on June 5, becoming the first mover in the next generation of tobacco products here.

“Our vision is a smoke-free future,” Philip Morris Korea CEO Chong Il-woo said at a press conference at Banyan Tree Club and Spa in Seoul on Wednesday. 

IQOS was designed to be combustion-free, following scientific research that showed smoking-related diseases were mainly caused by the combustion process rather than tobacco or nicotine itself, the company explained.

The heated tobacco sticks deliver similar levels of nicotine as traditional cigarettes, but reduce the exposure to harmful or potentially harmful chemicals by 90 percent, according to the company.

The product will be sold as a set, which includes an electronic IQOS device, a pocket charger, and charging and cleaning accessories. Using the device, users can enjoy cigarette-shaped sticks called HEETS. 

IQOS will be officially released in Seoul next month for sale at official IQOS stores in Gwanghwamun and Garosu-gil, as well as CU convenience stores and select Electromart outlets. Sales will be expanded to the rest of the country later this year.

The consumer price for the IQOS device kit is 120,000 won ($107), and each pack of 20 HEETS sticks will be sold at 4,300 won. HEETS sticks, which deliver 0.5 milligrams of nicotine each, will be available in four flavors called Silver, Amber, Green and Blue labels. 

By Won Ho-jung  (hjwon@heraldcorp.com)