Spicy Jjamppong, Emergency Room Visits, and Toothpick Mukbang... Dangerous Challenges Leading to Death [Dito Society]

⑦Challenge Favorite Theme 'Spicy Flavor'... Theft Trend in the US
Food Industry Also Launches Jumbo Ramen Targeting Challenges
Especially Dangerous Challenge Imitation Risks During Adolescence
US Enacts Laws Restricting Harmful Content for Minors on SNS

Editor's NoteThe Seoul National University Consumer Trend Analysis Center has identified 'Ditto consumption' as one of the top 10 keywords for 2024. Ditto, derived from the Latin word meaning 'the same,' refers to the tendency to follow celebrities' tastes and trends exactly when purchasing products or consuming content. This article analyzes the blind 'Ditto' phenomena in Korean society, such as the lowering age of luxury consumption and the increasing trend of trend-chasing investments.

Dangerous challenges are spreading unchecked through online video platforms like YouTube and TikTok. Especially vulnerable are adolescents, who learn by observation and imitation; there have been cases where they have been injured or even died after encountering and following harmful challenges, prompting calls for regulatory measures.

On the 7th of last month, a video of comedian Kim Dae-hee challenging himself to eat spicy jjambbong was uploaded on the YouTube channel 'Kkondaehee'. [Image source=YouTube capture]

The Common SNS Theme: 'Cover Contents'

On video platforms, it is common for 'cover contents'?videos imitating popular content?to emerge when a piece of content gains popularity. This year, desserts like Dubai chocolate, yogurt ice cream, and Swedish jelly, which swept the dessert industry, also became trendy thanks to mukbang (eating broadcasts).

Cover contents have also served as a gateway for Korean culture to be introduced. This year, amid a global heatwave, TikToker 'AmyPlamy' revived the trend of '3 a.m. Hwache eating broadcasts,' sparking increased interest in Korean dessert hwache. Last summer, AmyPlamy showcased a mukbang featuring hwache served in a large container, and as this video was shared on YouTube and other platforms, imitation challenges followed.

Thanks to Canadian TikToker Logan Moffitt, known as 'Oinam' (cucumber guy), Iceland experienced a 'cucumber shortage.' Logan, who frequently showcases mukbangs and enjoys Korean food, introduced a cucumber salad made with cucumber, sesame oil, garlic, rice vinegar, chili oil, and Miwon seasoning. Subsequently, the Icelandic Farmers' Association told the BBC that "Iceland's cucumber consumption has more than doubled, and production cannot keep up." Besides this, Logan has introduced various Korean recipes on SNS, including cucumber cold soup, bibimbap, and bibim noodles.

The food industry is also launching products targeting challenge culture. Samyang Foods' Buldak Bokkeum Myun, which has gained worldwide popularity, is a prime example benefiting from challenges. After YouTuber 'Korean Englishman' posted mukbang videos of foreigners eating Buldak Bokkeum Myun, other YouTubers followed suit, making it a trend. One of the trending contents among creators this year was 'Jumbo Ramen.' Convenience store GS25 introduced the Jumbo Ramen series, including Paldo Jumbo Dosirak, Gongganchun, and Omori Jumbo Dosirak, with portions more than eight times larger than regular cup noodles.

Harmful Content Spreading Unchecked Emerges as a Social Issue

The problem is that harmful content also spreads unchecked in the form of challenges. A jjambbong restaurant in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, where about 80 people reportedly fainted after attempting an excessively spicy jjambbong challenge, still attracts throngs of YouTubers. Comedian Kim Dae-hee, who has 1.72 million subscribers, posted a spicy jjambbong eating challenge video last month on his YouTube channel 'Kkondaehee.' After tasting the spicy jjambbong, Kim said, "The spiciness hits the uvula. It feels like being stabbed in the stomach with a spear," repeatedly expressing pain and eventually gave up due to dizziness. Searching 'spicy jjambbong' on YouTube often reveals videos of YouTubers who were rushed to the emergency room with stomach cramps after eating this restaurant's spicy jjambbong.

Spicy food eating challenges have also caused problems overseas. In May, the Massachusetts Department of Public Safety and Security announced that the cause of death of 14-year-old Harris Willoba, who died after attempting the 'One Chip Challenge,' was cardiac arrest. It was determined that consuming food with an excessively high capsaicin concentration led to the death. The snack used in the One Chip Challenge is coated with Carolina Reaper and Naga Viper powder, which are reportedly 220 times spicier than Cheongyang chili peppers and 500 times spicier than Buldak Bokkeum Myun. Offline sales of the One Chip Challenge snack were discontinued as of September last year.

There have also been cases of death from 'extreme mukbangs' where participants eat continuously for 10 hours. In July, Chinese mukbang star Pan Xiaoting suddenly died during a live mukbang broadcast. Before her death, Pan had been challenging mukbangs by eating nonstop for over 10 hours daily on live streams. She reportedly consumed over 10 kg of food per meal. According to autopsy reports cited by local media such as China Press, her stomach was filled with undigested food, and her abdomen was severely deformed. As harmful mukbang content emerged as a social problem, China enacted a law in 2020 imposing fines on binge-eating content.

In March last year, the 'French Scar Challenge,' where teenagers in Italy pinched their faces to create bruises and scars, became popular. It is said to imitate the appearance of French gangsters. In the U.S., 'Kiaboys' content, involving stealing and joyriding only Hyundai and Kia vehicles without anti-theft devices, also became a trend. A teenage car theft gang in Wisconsin posted videos tagged with 'Kiaboys' showing Kia car thefts, leading to imitation crimes targeting Kia vehicles becoming a challenge phenomenon. Thousands of vehicles across the U.S. have been affected.

Earlier this year, bizarre eating mukbangs became popular. On YouTube, 'toothpick mukbangs' gained traction, with creators frying and eating starch-based toothpicks. Due to the perception that these starch toothpicks, made from corn starch and food coloring, are harmless to the human body, some attempted toothpick mukbangs. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety issued a press release warning, "While safety is managed under hygiene product standards, safety as food has not been verified." Starch toothpicks are classified as hygiene products, not food, and contain other ingredients such as sorbitol and synthetic coloring agents, making them unsafe for consumption.

Searching for 'toothpick mukbang' on YouTube yielded several videos.
[Image source=YouTube capture]

The Spread of Dangerous Challenges... What Is the Responsibility of Platforms?

As the spread of dangerous challenges has become a social issue, calls have arisen to hold platforms accountable. Dependence on algorithms is increasing, yet platforms have effectively enjoyed immunity by not taking responsibility even when users suffer harm from harmful content. Experts point out that adolescents, who learn by observing others, are at greater risk of directly imitating dangerous challenges. This is due to the nature of adolescence, where individuals identify with friends, celebrities, and influencers to establish their identity.

In response, Instagram has implemented policies to set adolescent users' accounts to private by default and restrict access to sensitive content. The algorithm is designed not to recommend sexual content or content related to suicide and self-harm to teenage users. This policy has been applied since the 17th to teenage users in the U.S., U.K., Canada, and Australia, and will be implemented in other countries, including Korea, starting January next year.

In California, U.S., a law has been enacted that prohibits providing addictive content to minors. Effective from 2027, this law bans SNS platforms from sending notifications to minors without parental consent during certain hours from September to May of the following year, when school is in session. In July, New York State also passed a bill allowing parents to block content recommended by SNS algorithms from reaching their children.