"When They Said They Were Retiring... YouTubers Doing 'Backdoor Ads' Quietly Return"

'Behind-the-Scenes Advertising' Controversy After 3 Months... Gradual Return
Citizens Criticize "Disgraceful... Is This True Reflection?"

Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporters Seunggon Han and Juhee Kang] Recently, as YouTubers who caused the so-called 'hidden advertisement' scandal by concealing sponsorships in August have been gradually returning, voices criticizing them are growing louder.

Some YouTubers who had temporarily suspended their broadcasts or even declared retirement have returned about three months after the controversy erupted, leading to criticism that they are deceiving consumers once again rather than showing remorse. Some speculate that their return is motivated by economic gains.

Famous mukbang (eating broadcast) YouTuber 'Moonbokhee,' who has 4.7 million subscribers, posted a comeback video on her YouTube channel on the 9th. She said, "I was very nervous filming the new video. I will try to return to my original mindset and show a more mature and developed side."

Moonbokhee had caused controversy in August for failing to disclose sponsorships or payments, engaging in hidden advertisements. Additionally, despite her mukbang concept of eating large amounts of food, suspicions arose that she secretly spat out food instead of eating it all, which intensified criticism and led her to suspend her broadcasts.

Another popular YouTuber who caused hidden advertisement controversy, 'Jjuyang,' also returned by posting a video on her YouTube channel on the 23rd of last month. At the time the controversy broke out, Jjuyang said, "I no longer want to continue broadcasting," and "I will never come back," even declaring retirement, but after much thought and consideration, she decided to upload videos because she really wanted to."

However, Jjuyang explained that except for some early videos where she failed to mark advertisements due to ignorance, she had complied with advertisement disclosures, and the newly uploaded videos were filmed before the controversy.

YouTuber 'Bokyem,' who suspended broadcasts due to a chicken hidden advertisement, also posted a video on the 26th of last month, apologizing by saying, "(Regarding the controversy) I have thought a lot and feel a pang in my heart. I am very sorry for this incident and the disappointing response afterward," and has since continued broadcasting.

Although the YouTubers have issued apologies, public sentiment remains unfavorable. Despite causing social repercussions by deceiving consumers with hidden advertisements, as the controversy subsides, they seem to be quietly returning to broadcasting, drawing criticism.

Some netizens have raised their voices, saying, "If there were signs of remorse, they wouldn't even consider returning."

Office worker Kim (28) said, "I used to enjoy mukbang before the controversy, but now even their apologies feel insincere. It's only been a few months since the incident, yet they easily return to broadcasting after a few words of apology, often around the same timing, which makes me feel even more resentful. If they were truly remorseful, they wouldn't come back."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Some speculate that their return to broadcasting is due to economic reasons. YouTubers approved for monetization can lose their eligibility if their channel remains inactive or they do not upload new videos for six months.

Because of this, there are criticisms that the sincerity of YouTubers claiming to have reflected on their actions cannot be trusted. Some netizens argue that viewers who watch their broadcasts are also at fault and should stop consuming their content.

One netizen said, "The reason YouTubers can return so easily after wrongdoing is because there are people who watch their broadcasts. Both the returning YouTubers and those who continue to consume their content are problematic."

Meanwhile, the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) announced that starting next year, it will take punitive actions against hidden advertisements on social network services (SNS) such as YouTube. Accordingly, 'business operators' who post unfair advertisements disguised as 'product reviews' without disclosing that they are advertisements will be fined up to 2% of related sales or income, or up to 500 million KRW.

The FTC considers those who continuously and repeatedly post hidden advertisements on SNS and earn revenue from advertisers as business operators subject to regulation under the Act on Labeling and Advertising. The FTC also stated it plans to conduct ongoing monitoring to prevent hidden advertisements.

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