K-pop alcohol ads face ban in South Korea amid rise in underage drinking
- IU, Lee Hyori and Irene from Red Velvet have all previously lent their name and fame to promoting popular soju brands Chamisul or Chumchurum
- But as the health ministry eyes with concern a rise in female and underage drinkers, such multimillion-dollar endorsement deals could soon be history
The proposed move is being spearheaded by the country’s Ministry of Health and Welfare, which wants to see famous faces banished from drinks packaging and removed from accompanying advertising by as early as next year.
Kim Euk, an administrator of mental health policy at the ministry, said it had been discussing plans for a ban since last December in response to an increase in underage drinking – which rose from 15 per cent of adolescents in 2016 to 16.9 per cent in 2018, according to government statistics. The legal drinking age in South Korea is 19.
“We are expecting an advance legislation notice of banning celebrities from appearing on soju bottles and alcohol commercials by the end of December,” Kim said.
As things stand, there are “virtually no restrictions” on alcohol advertising in South Korea, according to Lee Hae-kook, an anti-alcoholism campaigner and psychiatry professor at the Catholic University of Korea who has taken part in studies into the country’s policies on alcohol branding.