"Not Intended with Any Specific Person in Mind"
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced on the 22nd that a recent "Red Ginseng Experience" video uploaded by Cho Min, the daughter of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk, on YouTube constitutes a legal case of "deceptive consumer advertising."
Jo Min revealed the Silver Button received from YouTube for reaching 100,000 subscribers, and added, "A good advertisement came in, so I am introducing it," showcasing a red ginseng gift set. [Photo by Jo Min YouTube 'Jjomin minchobae']
The Ministry stated that a complaint requesting action was received on the 15th through the National Petition Portal, claiming "online false and exaggerated advertising" related to the red ginseng advertisement included in the video Cho uploaded on her YouTube channel "Jjomin."
After analyzing the video, the Ministry confirmed that "Cho clearly violated Article 8, Paragraph 1, Subparagraph 5 of the Act on Labeling and Advertising of Foods by expressing statements such as 'I have been consistently taking it for about a month, and I definitely feel my immunity is improving' regarding the health functional food red ginseng product." Article 8, Paragraph 1, Subparagraph 5 of the Act on Labeling and Advertising of Foods stipulates that "no labeling or advertising that deceives consumers about the name, manufacturing method, ingredients, etc., of food shall be made."
The Ministry requested action from YouTube, the platform hosting the video, on the 21st. The video is currently blocked.
The Ministry emphasized, "This action is intended to prevent consumer harm from unfair advertising and is a general administrative measure taken by the government against legal violations. Claims that the video was blocked with a specific individual in mind are not true." They added, "We will continue to monitor and detect unfair advertising of foods using experience reports like this case."
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