YouTube stars in South Korea who used paid ads and product placement in videos apologise to furious fans
- Celebrities such as singer Kang Min-kyung and fashion stylist Han Hye-yeon were slammed for not revealing paid promotions on their YouTube channels
- As of this month, advertisements must be clearly disclosed and ambiguous terms such as ‘thanks to’ or ‘in collaboration with’ are banned
Some of South Korea’s most prominent YouTube stars are scrambling to save their reputations after it emerged they were using undisclosed advertising practices.
YouTube is the most used video-streaming app in South Korea, according to Seoul-based analytics firm Wiseapp. Most of the country’s top YouTubers produce mukbang, a Korean term that translates to “eating broadcast”, and broadcast videos of themselves eating copious amounts of food to millions of subscribers.
However, a number of these YouTubers saw their fan bases shrink when undisclosed product placement in their videos was revealed, and some have stopped uploading new videos.
International viewers were left hanging and confused. “It’s just mukbang” summarises many of the English-language comments on these channels. But to South Korean viewers, this is a serious matter.
The drama started in July when a local news outlet reported that certain celebrities – singer Kang Min-kyung and fashion stylist Han Hye-yeon – were not revealing paid promotions on their YouTube channels.