煙草在線據(jù)路透社報道編譯　　韓國的國家健康保險公司計劃對煙草公司采取法律行動，以得到據(jù)說該國每年治療與吸煙有關(guān)疾病花費的16億美元的部分補償。

　　此舉可能會引發(fā)與全球主要煙草公司如菲莫和英美煙草的訴訟戰(zhàn)。

　　這兩家公司，以及日本煙草公司的子公司——日本煙草國際公司（JTI），在韓國煙草市場的總份額接近40%，價值估計為93億美元。

　　在過去的十年中，這三家公司不斷從原國有煙草和人參產(chǎn)品制造商KT＆G公司攫取市場份額，使KT＆G的市場份額從76.7%減少到2013年底的61.7%。

　　尋求損害賠償?shù)臎Q定是國民健康保險服務(wù)（NHIS）董事會上周五（1月24日）開會決定的，但訴訟的范圍、時間和對象尚未確定，該機構(gòu)的發(fā)言人說。

　　于2002年進行私有化的KT＆G公司拒絕發(fā)表評論。未能聯(lián)系上菲莫、英美煙草和日煙國際在當(dāng)?shù)氐墓緦Υ耸掳l(fā)表評論。

　　NHIS主席Kim Jong-dae去年12月在他的個人博客中寫道，它可能首先起訴要求獲得在2010年治療肺癌花費的432億韓元的補償。

　　Kim還表示，它可以向任何地方政府或肺癌患者及家屬提供信息或幫助，如果他們想提起訴訟。

　　在韓國，僅提起過四宗“煙草”訴訟，都是由個人或家庭提出的。

　　韓聯(lián)社曾表示，沒有對煙草公司成功起訴的先例，還有兩起案件正等待該國最高法院的裁決。

　　貿(mào)易組織韓國煙草協(xié)會在一份聲明中反駁了Kim的意見。

　　它補充說，由于KT＆G公司的前身是國營公司，國民健康保險公司對于那些在20世紀(jì)80年代和90年代開始吸煙的病人的主張，可能導(dǎo)致政府機構(gòu)起訴政府。

S. Korea's State Health Insurer to Pursue Tobacco Lawsuit

　　South Korea's state health insurer plans legal action against tobacco firms to get reimbursed for some of the $1.6 billion it says the country spends each year on treatments linked to smoking.

　　The move could spark a legal battle with major global firms such as Philip Morris and British American Tobacco .

　　The two firms, together with Japan Tobacco International (JTI), an affiliate of Japan Tobacco Inc, have a combined share of close to 40 percent of South Korea's tobacco market, worth an estimated $9.3 billion.

　　Over the past decade, the three firms have grabbed away market share from former state-owned tobacco and ginseng products maker KT&G Corp, reducing it to 61.7 percent by the end of 2013 from 76.7 percent.

　　The decision to seek damages was made at a meeting of the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) board on Friday, but the scope, timing and counterparties of the lawsuit have not yet been decided, a spokeswoman for the insurer said.

　　KT&G, privatised in 2002, declined to comment. Local units of Philip Morris, BAT and JTI could not be reached for comment.

　　NHIS Chairman Kim Jong-dae wrote on his personal blog in December that it could initially sue for the reimbursement of 43.2 billion won spent for lung cancer treatments in 2010 alone.

　　Kim also said it could provide information or assistance to any regional governments or lung cancer patients and their families if they wanted to pursue lawsuits.

　　Only four "tobacco" lawsuits have ever been brought in South Korea, all by individuals or families.

　　There is no precedent of a successful action against a tobacco company, with two of the cases now awaiting rulings by the country's Supreme Court, wire service Yonhap has said.

　　Trade group Korea Tobacco Association issued a rejoinder to Kim's comments in a statement this week.

　　Because KT&G was formerly state-run, it added, the national health insurer's claims for patients who began smoking in the 1980s and 1990s could result in a government body suing the government. Enditem