The Korean government has begun revising the guidelines to prevent the so-called “drinking rooms (alcohol + broadcasting)” containing drinking scenes on YouTube and online video platforms.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea Institute for Health Promotion and Development announced that they had revised the “Media Drinking Scene Guidelines” by increasing it from 10 to 12 items.
In the revised bill, two items were added: “Contents that excessively highlight or glorify drinking must minimize accessibility to children and teenagers through age restrictions” and “The harmful effects of drinking must be made known through warnings.”
Lee Young Ji’s YouTube show | No Prepare/YouTube
Recently, there has been an increase in alcohol-themed broadcasts hosted by famous celebrities and influencers, mainly on online platforms. Talk show web entertainment with the concept of a “drinking room”, such as Lee Young Ji‘s No Prepare and comedian Shin Dong Yeop‘s Zzanbro, are also gaining great popularity.
Shin Dong Yeop’s YouTube show | Zzanbro/YouTube
The group SEVENTEEN also appeared in producer Na Young Suk‘s YouTube show, Chattering with Nah, and featured them drinking and chatting together.
The problem is that children and teenagers can also access the content. There are also concerns that the presence of a famous host and a popular guest among minors may create a distorted perception of drinking through drinking scenes.
SEVENTEEN on Na PD’s YouTube show | Chattering with Nah/YouTube
The Ministry of Health and Welfare said, “The new guidelines were created with YouTube and OTT in mind,” and added, “There are many drinking scenes on YouTube, etc., but since they cannot be regulated by law, we have revised them to urge voluntary self-restraint.”
In addition, they plan to continue collaborating with broadcasting stations, associations of influencers and creators, and associations related to content production to minimize drinking scenes from the content production stage by using the guidelines.
The amendment will be officially announced at the Drinking Harm Prevention Month commemoration event held in Seoul at the end of the month.
Netizens that saw this also agreed that revisions needed to be made for these types of broadcasts.
Netizen comments | theqoo “Ah this is good news.” “They needed to do this.” “Let’s do zero-calorie drink broadcasts instead!” “This is something that we needed.” “Oh!” “It’s been popping up everywhere…celebrities are drinking left and right. It’s fun, but they should add a 19+ warning.” “I hope they add the 19+ warning.” “It’s only right to add a warning disclaimer.”
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