Celebrities to be banned from alcohol packaging

The government is seeking to ban local distilleries from promoting their alcoholic beverages through the use of photographs of celebrities on their bottles and cans. / Korea times file

By Kim Jae-heun

The government is seeking to ban local distilleries from promoting their alcoholic beverages through the use of photographs of celebrities on their bottles and cans.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare said Monday it would revise the National Health Promotion Act to ban all images of celebrities from alcohol containers in an effort to prevent glamorizing its consumption.

The current law allows the inclusion of such images on soju or beer bottles and other types of packaging and it has long been a much-sought-after gig for many celebrities, especially women. Currently Irene of girl group Red Velvet and singer and actress Suzy are the respective models for the nation's top two soju makers.

Such a move follows criticism of the government's lenient attitude toward drinking compared to smoking.

Both cigarettes and alcohol are classified as class one carcinogens, and both could cause various diseases including cancer and high blood pressure, In addition alcohol is documented for its various serious and harmful social effects. The government's anti-smoking policy has become tougher, for example, by having disturbing photos and health warnings printed on cigarette packs, while it has not been very active in curbing drinking.

Korea is currently the only OECD member nation that allows liquor companies to print celebrities' images on alcohol labels.

The government has allocated nearly 138.8 billion won for anti-smoking initiatives this year but only 1.3 billion won for campaigns discouraging alcohol consumption. The health ministry has a separate department responsible for anti-smoking projects, but not one for deterring alcohol consumption.

“Popular celebrities such as actors or singers wield great influence over children and teenagers, so putting their photos on alcohol bottles and cans should be avoided,” said Rep. Nam In-soon of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea and a member of the National Assembly Health and Welfare Committee.

A 2017 study by the health ministry showed that 62.1 percent of adults drank at least once a month within the last year, up from 59.6 percent in 2008.

In the same period, the drinking rate for men decreased slightly from 74.7 percent to 74 percent but that for women increased considerably from 45 percent to 50.5 percent.

The number of women drinking at least five glasses of alcohol per “drinking session” and having such a session at least twice a week also rose from 6.2 percent in 2008 to 7.2 percent in 2017.