"'Even if Infected with COVID-19, You Will Heal' Amulets... 'Fear Marketing' That Crosses the Line"

[Asia Economy Reporter Shinwon Yoon] As the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) spreads and public anxiety grows, various promotional and marketing tactics exploiting these consumer fears have emerged, drawing criticism.

Recently, the phrase "prevents COVID-19" has been spreading like a trend across various online shopping malls. While masks, hand sanitizers, and hand cleansers approved and certified by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) are not problematic, the issue lies with products whose effectiveness has not been verified being promoted as if they can prevent COVID-19.

[Photo - Screenshot of portal site shopping screen]

When searching "COVID prevention" on a portal site, various unverified health supplements claiming to boost immunity, air purifiers that supposedly eliminate bacteria completely, and even accessories and talismans made from germanium and magnesium that claim to prevent COVID-19 appeared. On a site selling talismans, the talisman was introduced as "a talisman used to prevent disease invasion, maintain a healthy state, and aid healing if infected," and was sold under the name "COVID-19 Virus Infection Prevention Talisman."

Additionally, some products were sold with phrases that could mislead consumers into believing they are effective. Some companies promoting phrases like "99.9% removal of bacteria and harmful substances" and "99.99% removal of bacteria" received warning actions from the Fair Trade Commission. They had advertised car air purifiers by exaggerating performance beyond actual measured values or failing to properly disclose limiting conditions.

Products not approved by the MFDS are also problematic. Hygiene products such as hand sanitizers and hand sanitizer mists may be purchased at a glance, but those not approved by the MFDS are classified as general cosmetics rather than quasi-drugs, so their performance and effectiveness cannot be guaranteed. The MFDS allows products to be sold as quasi-drugs only if the manufacturer has manufacturing approval for that item with quasi-drug production facilities, whereas general cosmetics lack manufacturing standards and thus their safety cannot even be assured.

A man in his 30s, office worker Mr. A, said, "I bought a product just by looking at the MFDS label, but after friends advised me to check the approval number, I found that the product was not even searchable on the MFDS website and returned it," and criticized, "I am fed up with companies exploiting public anxiety to make money."

Recently, "bundling sales" have also become problematic. As masks became scarce, some sellers have taken advantage of consumers struggling to obtain masks by bundling masks with various cosmetics and daily necessities or offering masks as free gifts.

In this way, amid the growing social confusion caused by COVID-19, the emergence of deceptive products with exaggerated claims and sneaky sales tactics has further increased public confusion, prompting the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) to launch focused crackdowns.

The FTC stated, "We will inspect to prevent the distribution of false or exaggerated information related to COVID-19 and impose sanctions on confirmed violations," and announced plans to closely monitor open markets and distributors for acts that lure consumers with unverified efficacy and effectiveness.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.