"Taller Height and Better Grades"... Bodyfriend CEO Fined for False Advertising

Sanghyun Park, CEO of Bodyfriend

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] Park Sang-hyun, CEO of the massage chair company Bodyfriend, who was prosecuted for false advertising, was sentenced to a fine in the first trial.

On the afternoon of the 14th, Judge Lee Won-jung of the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 19 sentenced CEO Park to a fine of 15 million won for violating the Act on Labeling and Advertising. The corporation was fined 30 million won. Judge Lee stated the reason for sentencing, saying, "They provided information suggesting efficacy in height growth without objective evidence to growing adolescents and their parents, hindering reasonable product choice," but also considered "the company's promise to prevent recurrence on its website and the full refund measures taken, among other circumstances."

CEO Park is accused of false advertising in January 2019 by claiming that the massage chair for adolescents released by the company had effects such as height growth and improved learning ability. The prosecution brought both CEO Park and the corporation to trial based on the Fair Trade Commission's investigation results, which found that Bodyfriend had never proven efficacy in height growth. During the trial, CEO Park's side argued that "they were not the actor of the advertisement," but the court did not accept this claim.

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