'Breast-enhancement' supplements seized

Print ad for an unknown breast enhancement supplement manufactured in Asian region

Prosecutors took into custody a woman and four accomplices for selling illegal Thai supplements that claim to enlarge breasts but are harmful to the body, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said Wednesday.

The criminals, one of them known by surname Choi, 28, were charged with breaking food safety laws. The supplements contain “pueraria mirifica,” a Thai kudzu root that the ministry confirmed may cause hormonal side effects as a trade-in for larger breasts.

An investigation revealed that Choi and the others managed to smuggle in the supplements from foreign online markets and resold them in domestic markets through an online blog and second-hand trading websites from April to July.

Prosecutors also arrested a woman known as Kim, 34, for illegally selling her own concoctions that she claimed were breast-enhancement supplements. She made chewable pills with domestic kudzu root powders.

An investigation revealed that Kim made some seven million won ($6,700) from December to August off the products.

The ministry said they collected all the supplements distributed by the criminals by the end of August.