586 Cases of Illegal Online Activities Involving Unauthorized Mosquito Repellents and Other Food and Drug Products Detected

False and Exaggerated Advertising Claims Such as Insomnia and Acne Improvement

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-won] With the arrival of summer, 600 cases of illegal online activities related to food and drug products, including mosquito repellents that attract high public interest, have been detected.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced on the 6th that it had identified 586 websites that falsely or exaggeratedly advertised products used for the treatment or prevention of diseases such as insomnia and acne, or distributed and sold illegal drugs online. For the detected cases, requests for access blocking were made to the Korea Communications Standards Commission, and inspections were requested from the relevant local governments.

This inspection was conducted to prevent damage caused by false, misleading, or exaggerated advertising of unverified or unauthorized medical efficacy, or the distribution and sale of illegal products.

The inspection results showed that the most common case was 302 instances of illegal sales advertisements of unauthorized overseas drugs, followed by 108 cases of cosmetics advertised in a way that could be mistaken for drugs, such as for redness relief. Other cases included ▲91 cases of unfair advertising of foods claiming disease prevention or treatment effects such as insomnia ▲54 cases of false or exaggerated advertising of quasi-drugs like mosquito repellents ▲31 cases of false or exaggerated advertising of medical devices and misleading advertising of industrial products as medical devices.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety explained that most of the detected cases involved advertisements claiming preventive or therapeutic effects for specific diseases such as insomnia and skin disorders. Phrases like "medicine for good sleep" and "sleep improvement" were detected in the advertisements.

An official from the Ministry emphasized, "If you have the relevant disease, you must visit a hospital or pharmacy and use medicines according to a doctor's prescription and a pharmacist's dispensing and medication guidance." They also added, "When purchasing quasi-drugs or medical devices online, you must verify whether the product is authorized and whether the advertisement content is approved."