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Korea's Broadcast Review Board Issues 'Caution' Over Lotte Home Shopping's Exaggerated Broadcast

Policy3 min read

South Korea's broadcast watchdog, the Broadcasting Media Communications Commission (KMCC), gave Lotte Home Shopping a formal warning. The warning is over a TV shopping segment that made a health supplement sound like it burns fat in one specific part of the belly.

What happened

On the 26th, the KMCC held a full meeting and decided to give Lotte Home Shopping a 'caution' (주의). This is the lowest level of formal sanction. Every commissioner who attended agreed, except one who was absent. The problem was a live sales broadcast of the supplement 'Pubeung Pavifora' on April 10. The show said fat 'goes away' from the upper, middle, and lower belly, as if the product could target fat in those spots.

Key facts

  • The broadcast ran from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on April 10.
  • The main ingredient, Pavifora ginger root extract, is approved by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety for helping reduce body fat.
  • The approved claim is only that the product 'may help reduce body fat.' It does not say fat can be cut in one area.
  • The subcommittee had already given the same caution last month, and the full meeting made it final.

How the sanctions work

The KMCC has two kinds of action. Administrative guidance includes an 'opinion' and a 'recommendation'. Formal sanctions include a 'caution', a 'warning', punishment for staff, ordering a show to be fixed or stopped, and fines. A caution is the mildest formal sanction. Unlike guidance, though, it can count against a broadcaster when its license is renewed.

Why it matters

The watchdog said that repeating exaggerated claims is not fixed by adding small print warnings. Viewers who care about health and dieting can be misled. The KMCC wants broadcasters to check their shows more carefully so this does not happen again. The case also shows a problem inside the company: a phrase that Lotte's own review team had banned still appeared on air and in the evidence panel.

What to watch

  • Whether Lotte Home Shopping changes its internal review process for health product shows.
  • Whether other shopping channels get similar warnings for fat-loss claims.
  • How this caution affects Lotte's future license renewal reviews.

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