[Sportschosun reporter Lee Ji-hyun] Actress Han Ga-in apologized for recommending an 'oral albumin' product on YouTube that she had purchased and taken herself.
On the 28th, Han Ga-in posted a statement on her YouTube channel, saying, "I am writing this to address the concerns regarding the albumin product I recently introduced on YouTube and to provide accurate information."
Han Ga-in first rejected potential allegations that the video was an advertisement. She emphasized, "The video was content featuring a product I purchased and used myself, with my own money, without receiving any payment or sponsorship. As previously disclosed, there was no deception whatsoever regarding whether it was an advertisement."
She added, "Our channel follows the principle of labeling and uploading content as 'includes paid promotion' whenever paid advertising is involved, so that viewers can clearly recognize that it is an advertisement."
However, she acknowledged that she had been at fault in the way she introduced the product.
Han Ga-in stated, "Regardless of whether it was an advertisement, it was careless of me to introduce a health-related product based solely on my personal experience. I began buying and taking the product regularly when I felt low on energy after giving birth. Because I personally felt that my condition had improved, I recommended it to viewers."
She continued, "Through this incident, I realized how careful we must be when conveying information without rigorous verification, relying only on subjective impressions." She apologized, saying, "I sincerely apologize for causing confusion and concern through my insufficiently careful judgment."
She also said she would be more cautious when introducing health-related products in the future. Han Ga-in added, "From now on, even when sharing products I purchased and tried myself, I will first strictly verify the objective facts." She continued, "I will listen closely to the valuable voices of my viewers and create content with even greater care."
Han Ga-in's statement came the same day consumer whistleblower YouTuber Samangyeou released a video addressing issues surrounding an 'oral albumin' product.
That day, Samangyeou uploaded a video titled 'The Real Culprit Revealed' on the channel's YouTube account, focusing on so-called 'oral albumin' products that had recently gained popularity in the market and the celebrities who introduced them.
In particular, Samangyeou referred to a scene from November 2024 in which Han Ga-in introduced an albumin product on her YouTube channel as one of the products she regularly took. Samangyeou claimed that searches related to albumin, which had shown little movement for months, surged immediately after Han Ga-in's video was released, suggesting that her introduction was one of the factors that increased public interest.
However, it has not been clearly confirmed how much influence Han Ga-in's video actually had. Based on the publicly available data, it is difficult to establish a direct connection between the video's view count at the time and the increase in sales of albumin products. No specific evidence has been found to objectively prove the extent to which Han Ga-in's product introduction contributed to the so-called 'albumin craze' that followed.
olzllovely@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
