"Public Officials Ranked No.1 for Deceptive Advertising," Fair Trade Commission Issues Correction Order to Hackers

On the 27th, the Fair Trade Commission sanctions Champ Study for using phrases like 'No.1 Public Official' and 'Fastest Pass' without objective evidence

The Korea Fair Trade Commission imposed corrective orders and fines on Champ Study for deceptive advertising practices, including claiming to be the "No. 1 public official" without disclosing the basis for this claim.

The Fair Trade Commission imposed a corrective order and a fine of 286 million KRW on Champ Study for deceptive advertising, claiming without clear evidence that it is the ‘No.1 Public Official’ and ‘No.1 Certified Real Estate Agent’ company. Champ Study operates under the brand name ‘Hackers’ and provides educational services for various certification and employment exam preparations, including public official and certified real estate agent exams.

According to the Fair Trade Commission on the 27th, Champ Study advertised on the exterior of buses emphasizing ‘No.1 Public Official Hackers’ and ‘No.1 Certified Real Estate Agent Hackers.’ Although it was only selected as No.1 in a satisfaction survey by a specific media outlet, the supporting statement was printed in very small letters, making it very difficult or impossible for consumers to identify, effectively concealing the basis.

The main phrases ‘No.1 Public Official Hackers’ and ‘No.1 Certified Real Estate Agent Hackers’ were emphasized with large, bold letters up to 70cm in size, while the supporting statements were printed in small letters about 5cm in size on only 3-10% (mostly 5%) of the total advertising area on the exterior of moving buses, forcing consumers to recognize only the main advertising phrase ‘No.1 Hackers.’

The Fair Trade Commission also regarded the phrase ‘No.1 Shortest Pass Public Official Academy’ as false and exaggerated advertising without objective evidence.

Champ Study included ‘No.1 Shortest Pass’ and the fact that it was selected as No.1 in the ‘Shortest Pass Public Official Academy category’ in the Herald’s university student preferred brand awards as the basis for the advertisement, but the Commission explained that this alone cannot be considered objective evidence proving that it is the academy with the shortest passing period for students.

The Fair Trade Commission carefully examined whether this advertisement could deceive consumers or cause them to misunderstand, and whether it interfered with consumers’ rational purchasing decisions, ultimately judging it as unfair advertising. The Commission stated, “This case is significant as it is the first to sanction an online lecture provider for false and exaggerated advertising by misrepresenting the meaning of awards and selections as ‘No.1 Shortest Pass.’”

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