YouTuber Jeon Han-gil referred to prosecutors over false health supplement ads

Jeon Han-gil (legal name Jeon Yu-gwan), a conservative YouTuber and former Korean history lecturer, has been referred to prosecutors on charges of promoting a health supplement as if it were a pharmaceutical drug.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's wide-area crime investigation unit referred Jeon to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office without detention on Oct. 30 on charges of violating the Act on Labeling and Advertising of Foods.

Jeon is accused of misleading viewers into believing a specific health supplement was a prescription drug during a broadcast on May 7, when he said the product "has a patent and is said to treat glaucoma" and added, "I'm taking it right now — three times a day."

In a broadcast on May 14, Jeon made similar remarks about the same product, saying, "This is medicine to me," and adding, "Glaucoma, which they say is incurable — I'm taking this because I believe it treats glaucoma."

Current food labeling and advertising law prohibits advertisements that could lead consumers to believe a food product prevents or treats a specific disease, as well as any advertising that could cause confusion between food and pharmaceutical products. Violations carry a prison term of up to 10 years or a fine of up to 100 million won ($74,600).

The health supplement company that commissioned Jeon to advertise its product also received administrative sanctions.

Bucheon city in Gyeonggi Province issued the company a five-day business suspension on June 22 for violating regulations prohibiting false or misleading food labeling and advertising.

When Jeon appeared for a suspect interview on July 23, he said, "I did it out of inexperience and ignorance," and went on to say, "I want to make it clear that I had no intention of profiting or broadcasting anything false." Jeon also said he had removed all the advertising content from the video immediately after the issue was raised.

Beyond the health supplement advertising case, Jeon has also been referred to prosecutors on charges of violating a special act related to the May 18 pro-democracy movement, as well as on defamation charges involving President Lee Jae Myung and Reform Party lawmaker Lee Jun-seok.