Singer Kim Jin-pyo unknowingly takes dog probiotics for over a month

Singer Kim Jin-pyo expressed bewilderment after discovering that the probiotics he had been taking for more than a month were actually meant for his dog.

In a post on his SNS on Tuesday, Kim wrote, "At some point I developed a habit of taking all sorts of things that are supposed to be good for the body the morning after drinking."

According to the post, Kim had been taking digestive medicine and vitamins when he had a hangover. One day, he came across a probiotic supplement on a shelf where medicines were kept and began taking it without much thought. "It tasted exactly like the probiotics I used to take," he said, adding that he continued taking the product every morning after drinking.

At some point, however, unexplained hives began appearing on various parts of his body. On days he carried a bag all day, hives spread widely across the shoulder where the strap had rested, and his side sometimes turned red.

The symptoms were not severely itchy and tended to subside after a few days, so he initially did not pay much attention. As the hives kept recurring sporadically, Kim told his wife about his condition, planning to see a doctor if the symptoms worsened.

His wife solved the mystery only when she saw him popping the probiotics into his mouth.

Checking the crumpled packaging, his wife urgently asked, "Did you just eat this?" When Kim replied, "Why? Should I spit it out?" she immediately said, "Spit it out now." It turned out the probiotics Kim had been taking were meant for the couple's dog — the packaging even bore the words "for dogs only."

Only then did Kim realize that the probiotics he had been taking for more than a month were meant for his pet.

"Why did I never once notice the words 'for dogs only'?" he said, adding, "I feel embarrassed," expressing his bewilderment over the situation.

Kim said he stopped taking the product afterward, and the hives that had appeared across his body also disappeared.

No medical causal link has been confirmed between taking the dog probiotics and the hives Kim developed. However, since pet products can differ from products for humans in purpose, ingredients and dosage standards, caution is advised to check who a product is intended for and how it should be taken before consuming it.

Meanwhile, Kim debuted in 1995 as a member of the group Panic and has since worked as a rapper and MC. He later became a race car driver and also served as a director of a racing team. More recently, he took over Korea Pilot, an imported writing instrument company his maternal grandfather had run, and currently serves as its CEO.