800 Cases of Unfair Advertising and Illegal Sales of 'Study Pills' Ahead of the Suneung Exam Detected

MFDS Intensively Inspects Online Ads for 'Concentration-Enhancing Supplements' and More

About 800 cases of unfair food advertisements and illegal drug sales advertisements targeting the anxious minds of parents and examinees have been detected ahead of the '2025 College Scholastic Ability Test' on the 14th.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced that from the 15th to the 25th of last month, it conducted a focused inspection on unfair advertising and illegal sales of food and drugs online, detecting 83 posts of unfair food advertisements and 711 posts related to illegal distribution and sales of ADHD medications (methylphenidate, amphetamine class), and requested administrative action from the relevant authorities. The Ministry also immediately requested the Korea Communications Standards Commission and others to block access to these sites.

First, by searching for terms such as 'examinee,' 'memory,' 'concentration,' and 'stress relief,' 300 open market sites selling food and health functional foods were inspected, resulting in 83 cases of unfair advertisements.

Major cases include ▲ advertisements that mislead or confuse general foods as health functional foods such as 'memory improvement supplements' ▲ false or exaggerated advertisements claiming 'improved concentration' ▲ advertisements expressing disease prevention or treatment effects ▲ advertisements violating the voluntary review of health functional foods ▲ advertisements that mislead or confuse health functional foods as drugs such as 'medicines' that enhance concentration.

Additionally, 711 posts were detected involving illegal sales, distribution, mediation, sharing, or purchasing of 'methylphenidate' products (psychotropic drugs) and 'amphetamine' products (no domestically approved products) used for ADHD treatment, commonly called 'study-enhancing drugs' or 'concentration-boosting drugs.' Experts point out that these products not only have unclear origins but are highly likely to be counterfeit drugs.

Since there were many unfair advertisements related to health functional foods in this inspection, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety urged consumers to always check the health functional food certification mark and functional information displayed on the product when purchasing health functional foods.

Professor Baek Yoo-jin of the Department of Family Medicine at Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital advised, "Ahead of the CSAT, there are cases where examinees and parents are tempted by false and exaggerated advertisements such as 'examinee supplements' and 'memory improvement.' At this critical time, it is important for examinees to regulate their condition through regular eating habits."

Professor Lee Hae-guk of the Department of Mental Health Medicine at Catholic University explained, "ADHD medications are intended to treat psychiatric disorders where cognitive behavioral control functions such as attention and concentration are insufficient due to underdevelopment of the prefrontal cortex. Since they aim to improve diseases with attention deficits, they have no effect on normal individuals who have not been diagnosed." He also emphasized, "If normal individuals who have not been diagnosed with ADHD take these medications, they may experience side effects ranging from mild appetite loss, increased heart rate, and headaches to severe cases such as extreme insomnia, excitability, hallucinations, and temporary psychotic states, so special caution is required."

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