YouTuber Jeon Han-gil Referred to Prosecutors Over False Advertising of Health Supplements

YouTuber Jeon Han-gil has been referred to prosecutors on charges of advertising health functional foods as if they were medicine. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Metropolitan Investigation Unit said it referred Jeon to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office on May 30 for violating the Special Act on Labeling and Advertising of Food.

Jeon, a former Korean history instructor, came under investigation after hosting live broadcasts on his YouTube channel in April and May. During the broadcasts, he described health supplements as 'medicine' and 'treatment' and advertised them as pharmaceutical products, according to the investigation. In a broadcast on May 7, he introduced a product by saying, "It has received a patent and can cure glaucoma." During a broadcast on May 14, he added, "This is medicine to me," saying he was taking the product himself.

The Food Labeling and Advertising Act prohibits advertising that could lead consumers to believe a product can prevent or treat disease. Ads that could be mistaken for, or confused with, medicine are also prohibited, with violations punishable by up to 10 years in prison or a fine of up to 100 million won.

Jeon had already been referred to prosecutors on charges of spreading false information about the May 18 Democratic Uprising and defaming President Lee Jae-myung. The latest charges of false advertising of health supplements have been added to those allegations.