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Drug Safety Ministry finds over 900 false advertising violations

Published: 24 Nov. 2025, 14:00 Updated: 24 Nov. 2025, 19:15

A poster promotes a KF80 mask as if it has the performance and efficacy of a KF94 mask. [MINISTRY OF FOOD AND DRUG SAFETY]

As demand for cold medicine and other health products rises ahead of the winter respiratory illness season, regulators uncovered hundreds of cases of illegal online sales and false advertising for drugs, medical devices and cosmetics.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said on Monday that it carried out an online inspection of medical products from Oct. 30 to Nov. 14, a period when colder temperatures typically drive up usage. Inspectors found 904 violations in total.

The targets included cold medicine and pain relievers categorized as drugs, in addition to items such as masks and sanitizer. The inspection also covered medical devices such as nasal cleaners and aspirators, along with cosmetics marketed with medical claims like relief for nasal congestion.

Officials found 342 violations related to drugs, mostly illegal online ads for cold medicine, fever reducers, nasal sprays and eye drops.

Selling drugs online is illegal in Korea, and the advertisements in question facilitated sales. General online shopping malls accounted for 210 cases, or 61.4 percent. Online forums and blogs accounted for 128 cases, or 37.4 percent, while open-market e-commerce platforms accounted for four cases, or 1.2 percent.

"Quasi-drugs," or products that are not ingestible or have little medical effect, accounted for 114 violations. The most frequent type involved false or exaggerated advertisements, which appeared in 83 cases. Some sellers promoted KF80 masks, which only block particulate pollutants like fine dust, as if they offered KF94-level protection against viruses. Others advertised contact lens solutions as “artificial tears” or “eye drops for vision protection,” and promoted topical sanitizer as athlete’s foot treatments.

Employees of the Korea Consumer Agency explain the products tested during a briefing on “KF94 disposable mask price and quality comparison information” at the Korea Fair Trade Commission press room in the Government Complex Sejong in Sejong on July 27, 2021. [NEWS1]

Authorities also flagged 19 cases of illegal overseas purchasing services for quasi-drugs and 12 cases in which sellers marketed consumer goods as if they carried the medical efficacy of approved health products.

Inspectors found 249 violations tied to illegal overseas direct purchases of medical devices, which made up 84.4 percent of device-related cases.

These advertisements promoted foreign-made devices without Korean regulatory approval and bypassed import procedures. Another 46 cases involved ads for ordinary consumer goods that could mislead customers into thinking they offered medical benefits such as nasal allergy symptom treatment.

Cosmetics accounted for 153 violations, largely due to sellers marketing cleansing balms and oils as treatments for nasal congestion. Some ads used phrases like “unclogs your nose” or “instantly refreshing” to imply medical effects.

The ministry requested access blocks for the violating posts through online platforms that signed memorandums of understanding with regulators, including Naver, Coupang and 11Street, and asked local administrative offices to conduct follow-up inspections on repeat offenders.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY NAM SOO-HYOUN [[email protected]]