Prosecutors Referred Five Companies for Illegal Advertising
Sales Totaled 32.4 Billion Won Through False Claims on SNS
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced on August 20 that it had referred the heads of five companies to the prosecution on charges of violating the Act on Labeling and Advertising of Foods, etc., for illegally advertising and selling general food products as health functional foods or obesity treatments effective for dieting on social networking services (SNS) such as YouTube.
According to the Ministry's investigation, the suspects used influencers' blogs and SNS accounts to falsely advertise general food products as "edible Wegovy (obesity treatment)," "appetite suppressants," or "body fat reduction," similar to pharmaceuticals or health functional foods. They also included links in these advertisements that led directly to sales sites. From January last year to June this year, they sold products worth a total of 32.4 billion won in this manner.
The suspects exploited the fact that individuals can post reviews of specific products on their personal SNS accounts. They provided influencers with advertising keywords such as "lose 7kg in one month" and "super strong appetite suppressant," and instructed them to create and upload videos or posts as if they were sharing their own experiences. This method was used to illegally advertise and sell products. Under current law, consumers are allowed to write reviews on their personal SNS accounts, but it is illegal for business operators to make false or exaggerated advertisements for the purpose of sales.
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety advised consumers to be cautious not to be misled by false advertisements when purchasing food or health functional foods online. The Ministry also urged consumers to check on the Food Safety Korea website whether the functional claims of health functional foods have been approved by the Ministry.
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