South Korean influencers face hefty fines over 'backdoor advertising'

YouTuber Tzuyang who quit her online eating channel after being slammed by netizens for not disclosing paid promotions in her videos. She had amassed a following of over 2.6 million subscribers for her live-stream eating shows.
YouTuber Tzuyang who quit her online eating channel after being slammed by netizens for not disclosing paid promotions in her videos. She had amassed a following of over 2.6 million subscribers for her live-stream eating shows. PHOTO: YOUTUBE
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A petite woman with a big appetite, South Korean YouTuber Tzuyang amassed a following of more than 2.6 million subscribers for her live-stream eating shows, famously gobbling down 240 chobab (Korean for sushi) and 1.5kg worth of yukhoe (seasoned raw beef) in different episodes.

Early last month, however, the 24-year-old quit YouTube abruptly after being bombarded online for deceiving viewers. Tzuyang, whose real name is Park Jeong-won, was one of several South Korean YouTubers accused of hiding product placements in their videos.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on September 17, 2020, with the headline South Korean influencers face hefty fines over 'backdoor advertising'. Subscribe