烟草在线据路透社报道编译　　韩国的国家健康保险公司计划对烟草公司采取法律行动，以得到据说该国每年治疗与吸烟有关疾病花费的16亿美元的部分补偿。

　　此举可能会引发与全球主要烟草公司如菲莫和英美烟草的诉讼战。

　　这两家公司，以及日本烟草公司的子公司——日本烟草国际公司（JTI），在韩国烟草市场的总份额接近40%，价值估计为93亿美元。

　　在过去的十年中，这三家公司不断从原国有烟草和人参产品制造商KT＆G公司攫取市场份额，使KT＆G的市场份额从76.7%减少到2013年底的61.7%。

　　寻求损害赔偿的决定是国民健康保险服务（NHIS）董事会上周五（1月24日）开会决定的，但诉讼的范围、时间和对象尚未确定，该机构的发言人说。

　　于2002年进行私有化的KT＆G公司拒绝发表评论。未能联系上菲莫、英美烟草和日烟国际在当地的公司对此事发表评论。

　　NHIS主席Kim Jong-dae去年12月在他的个人博客中写道，它可能首先起诉要求获得在2010年治疗肺癌花费的432亿韩元的补偿。

　　Kim还表示，它可以向任何地方政府或肺癌患者及家属提供信息或帮助，如果他们想提起诉讼。

　　在韩国，仅提起过四宗“烟草”诉讼，都是由个人或家庭提出的。

　　韩联社曾表示，没有对烟草公司成功起诉的先例，还有两起案件正等待该国最高法院的裁决。

　　贸易组织韩国烟草协会在一份声明中反驳了Kim的意见。

　　它补充说，由于KT＆G公司的前身是国营公司，国民健康保险公司对于那些在20世纪80年代和90年代开始吸烟的病人的主张，可能导致政府机构起诉政府。

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