Abstract
The National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) of Korea provides health insurance for over 90% of the population. The prevalence of smoking among Korean men is one of the highest in developed countries, and cancer incidence and mortality rates are the highest among all Asian countries. The NHIS has taken legal action against Korean and international tobacco companies and recently suffered a blow at the Supreme Court. This has attracted comment in Korean epidemiology journals. The familiarity of the issues from the history of epidemiology in Europe and America make the case disturbing and deserving of international attention. In particular, three aspects of the judgement deserve emphasis.