Pop starts urged to shun alcohol ads

Hara, a member of k-pop girl group KARA, dances in short pants in this scene captured from the soju commercial of Lotte Chilsung Beverage.

Seoul City government is poised to set guidelines on alcohol advertisements that may be harmful to teenagers.

The municipal authorities said Tuesday that it sent an official document to alcohol manufacturers, entertainment companies and advertisers requesting that they refrain from contracting young idol stars.

A recent soju advertisement showing female idols dancing in a suggestive manner triggered the move. The one that recorded the most views was the individual version featuring Hyuna of girl band 4 Minute showing her make suggestive moves in extremely short pants.

The main version of the advertisement featured two other female pop stars _ Hara of KARA and Hyorin of Sistar _ and Hyuna. The advertisement was in the form of a dance competition where the female stars all danced suggestively in hot pants trying to be the sexiest.

With explosive responses from the public, Lotte Chilsung Beverage, the soju manufacturer, created more versions of the advertisement individually featuring Hara and Hyorin.

But the soju advertisement drew criticism from the public, charging that the content of the advert is not appropriate for teenagers to watch.

“The ad is very uncomfortable to watch. The three look like call girls dancing in a strip show. I can’t imagine watching it with my family. The whole house would go silent,” said a blogger.

Another said, “I prefer the previous ad featuring Lee Hyo-ri. She was sexy even without trying to dance suggestively. The newly selected trio is trying hard, but it’s too much.”

Although the advertisements had a warning sign restricting those under 19 from watching, they were of no use because teenagers could access the ad via internet and smart phones bypassing the age certification requirement.

“We decided to ask the alcohol manufacturers to voluntarily take responsibility for protecting teenagers from the dangers of alcohol. If idol stars appear on such ads, it will send a positive image about alcohol to teenagers,” the city government said through a press release.

Under the Youth Protection Law, alcohol is regulated as a dangerous substance.

The city made moves earlier this year to regulate excessive alcohol consumption by banning alcohol advertisements on buses and bus stops.

But teens are already widely exposed to the heavy advertising.

According to research conducted by the city government with Nielsen Media Research, from January through November this year, the number of alcohol advertisements on television, radio and newspaper was recorded at 574 advertisements per day. The total number of advertisements through media, excluding the Internet, was recorded at 189,566.

Of this figure, the majority of the alcohol advertisements were dominated by idol stars. The survey showed that 72 percent of the advertisements had idol stars as their main models.

The definition of idol, according to the city, is “an entertainer who is considered a role model by teenagers because of their high recognition and influence.”

“These days, more and more teenagers dream of becoming entertainers. If idol stars are continuously encouraging teenagers to drink in alcohol advertisements, it can be harmful. If the industries don’t voluntarily regulate themselves, we will have to take stronger measures,” said Kim Kyung-ho, head of the health and welfare office at City Hall.

The city plans to conduct a tax inspection on alcohol manufacturers and entertainment companies to check excessive gains or spending on alcohol advertisements if the voluntary regulation seems ineffective. <The Korea Times/Yun Suh-young>