Team for (G)I-DLE's Miyeon denies promotional intent amid medical ad allegations over endoscopy video

The team behind (G)I-DLE member Miyeon addressed allegations that a YouTube video showing her health checkup and sleep endoscopy violated the Medical Act.

On Tuesday, the production team behind the YouTube channel "Jeondosa" said in a statement that the video "was not planned to promote any specific medical institution, but was made to document the process and experience of the cast member undergoing an actual health checkup."

"We received no request from the medical institution where the filming took place to advertise, promote or produce this content, and we did not receive any financial compensation or economic support, including production costs, advertising fees or sponsorship fees," the team said. "The costs for the cast member's health checkup and treatment were also paid directly by the production team."

"In the process of documenting the health checkup in detail, we confirmed that some scenes in the initially released version did not sufficiently obscure information that could identify the medical institution," the team added. "Going forward, we will be more careful not only in planning and producing content but also in reviewing it before release."

Earlier, on Sept. 1, the "Jeondosa" channel released footage showing Miyeon undergoing a health checkup and sleep endoscopy examination.

An informant identified as A filed a complaint Monday with the public health center in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, through the government's Sinmungo civil complaint portal. The complaint asked authorities to determine whether the content constitutes medical advertising under the current Medical Act. It reportedly was assigned to the center's health care division.

The complaint focused on scenes showing the administration of a sedative and the gastroscopy examination. The originally released video reportedly included a caption reading "administering sleep anesthesia," along with footage of a sedative being administered and an endoscope being inserted through the mouth. During this process, the name of the medical institution in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, its medical staff and its internal facilities were also shown on screen.

The complaint also cited signage inside the hospital reading "Health Checkup Center — Specialized Hospital for Gastric and Colon Endoscopy." A reportedly asked authorities to verify whether the institution was actually designated as a specialized hospital and whether the wording had been used appropriately.

Article 56 of the current Medical Act bars medical institution founders, heads of medical institutions, and individuals who are not medical personnel from advertising medical services. Even when medical personnel place such advertisements, ads that expose direct treatment procedures, including surgical scenes, are prohibited.