Low-Frequency Massager for "Muscle Pain Relief" Found Guilty of False and Exaggerated Advertising

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] A total of 438 cases of false and exaggerated advertisements claiming that low-frequency massagers sold as industrial products have medical benefits such as relieving muscle pain or improving blood circulation were detected.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced on the 12th that it inspected 2,723 advertisements on online sales sites for low-frequency massagers from March to May and found these violations. Low-frequency massagers are classified as industrial products under the Electrical Appliances Safety Control Act. Personal low-frequency stimulators, which attach electrode pads to the body and apply electric current for pain relief, are medical devices.

Advertisements claiming medical benefits such as muscle pain and pain relief, blood circulation improvement, and urinary incontinence treatment accounted for 326 cases, making up the majority. There were also 108 advertisements using medical device terms like low-frequency stimulators, which were flagged because they could mislead consumers into thinking the products were medical devices when they are not. Four false and exaggerated advertisements promoting low-frequency therapy devices and physical therapy devices were also detected.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety requested that the detected sites be blocked or that the relevant posts be deleted by the Korea Communications Standards Commission and various online shopping malls. The Ministry’s private advertising verification group, composed of medical professionals, consumer groups, and academia, stated, "Industrial products should not mention specific pain areas such as lower back pain or arthritis, and advertisements claiming to prevent, alleviate, or treat diseases like urinary incontinence have not been objectively verified."

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety advised, "If purchasing a low-frequency stimulator for pain relief, do not be misled by false and exaggerated advertisements for industrial products and check whether the product is a medical device."

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