Korean medicine practitioner dating influencer Ayohyi apologizes for fever advice that sparked backlash

Kim Hyeong-bae, a Korean medicine practitioner publicly dating influencer Ayohyi, has apologized after comments he made about fever management and the use of fever-reducing medication sparked widespread criticism.

On Wednesday, Kim posted an apology on his social media, saying he was "sincerely sorry for the confusion and concern caused by the comments I recently left regarding fever and the use of fever reducers."

He acknowledged that citing a specific body temperature and suggesting people could endure fever up to that level was "an incorrect way of expressing" his views, while clarifying that he had not meant to say people should simply tough out a fever no matter what.

"My intention was to say that rather than judging by body temperature alone, the need for fever-reducing medication or medical attention should be assessed by looking at the patient's overall condition — including age, health status and accompanying symptoms," Kim said. He added that "regardless of what I intended, as a medical professional conveying health information, I should have expressed myself more accurately and carefully."

Kim again apologized "for the confusion caused by my imprecise explanation" and pledged to "more thoroughly verify the medical evidence and deliver health information more accurately and carefully going forward."

The controversy began when Kim responded to a question from a social media user about fever, suggesting that adults could wait and see up to 39.4 degrees Celsius and children up to 38.5 degrees Celsius before seeking treatment.

His comment that "an appropriate rise in body temperature helps activate the immune system" drew particular criticism, even as he noted that temperatures above 39.4 degrees Celsius in adults could cause brain damage.

A physicians' advocacy group issued a statement on Tuesday saying the remarks constituted "incorrect medical advice that could harm public health."

The group said a high fever of 39.4 degrees Celsius "is a condition requiring prompt diagnosis with the possibility of serious illness in mind," adding that the causes of fever range from simple upper respiratory infections to pneumonia, encephalitis and sepsis, and that delayed diagnosis could increase the risk of severe complications or death.

The group also said it could find no medical guidelines recommending that patients wait until a temperature of 39.4 degrees Celsius, and said relying on body temperature alone to determine the need for medical care could delay the diagnosis and treatment of disease.

Meanwhile, Kim recently drew public attention after announcing he was in a relationship with Ayohyi, a YouTuber with around 770,000 subscribers.