The government will launch a research institute to assess the harmful effects of smoking at the end of next month.
 
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said Monday that the research institute will open at its headquarters in Osong, North Chungcheong Province.
 
The institute will analyze the ingredients and additives in cigarettes distributed in South Korea and study the harmful effects of secondhand smoke.
 
A KCDC official said government studies on tobacco have so far focused on epidemiological research, but will now try to find empirical evidence that smoking is harmful to the body.