Bahk Eun-ji has been with The Korea Times since 2012, building a career across multiple desks. She began at the Business Desk, where she conducted in-depth interviews with key figures in Korea's corporate world. Later, she moved to the Politics & City Desk, focusing on education policy and social affairs. She later served as team leader of the digital content team, leading curation efforts on the newspaper’s homepage and reshaping print stories for social media audiences to enhance digital reach. Now back on the Politics Desk, she covers the National Assembly and the Ministry of National Defense, with a renewed focus on political developments.
'Arnold Iron Dream diet pills' can cause death
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Arnold Iron Dream /Courtesy of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety
By Bahk Eun-ji
by Bahk Eun-ji
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety on Monday warned Koreans not to buy from a foreign website that sells a dietary supplement containing a harmful chemical.
The product “Arnold Iron Dream” contains the dangerous toxic chemical Ditrophenol (DNP), which is used as an antiseptic and a pesticide. DNP can cause life-threatening poisoning. “Iron Dream” is offered on www.bodybuilding.com
DNP was used in diet pills until the 1930s, because it was known to speed the metabolism, leading to weight loss.
But the chemical was prohibited in many countries because it can cause the body to overheat, dehydrate, and increase the heart beat.
More than 10 people who took the pill have died in the U.K., Germany, Ireland and Norway. The German government warned about taking the product in July.
The ministry has asked the Korea Communications to block any website offering the product, and has asked the Korea Customs Service to ban the product.