YouTuber fined for ‘misleading advertising’ of weight-loss products

Screenshot of Jeong`s YouTube video (YouTube) via The Korea Herald

SEOUL — A YouTuber with millions of followers was fined 5 million won ($4,100) Monday for false advertising of food products.

Food content YouTuber Jung Man-su, who goes by the name Banzz online, was fined for falsely promoting that his products had weight-loss effects, according to Daejeon District Court.

Eat4U, a health food company Jeong launched in March 2017, marketed its products as diet aids in a misleading ad, according to prosecutors.

During a July 18 trial, prosecutors had asked for a six-month jail term for the 28-year-old on a false advertisement charge. Jeong denied the accusations and pleaded innocence, claiming he had not intended to deceive consumers.

In an online statement posted July 18, Jeong apologized for “causing disappointment.” He also promised to take full responsibility and pledged there was “nothing wrong” with his products.

Following the lawsuit, Jeong suffered a net subscriber loss of around 100,000, down to 3.1 million from 3.2 million.