South Korea: Alcohol advert ban for young celebrities

Image source, Getty Images

Image caption, An advertisement featuring skater Kim Yuna prompted lawmakers to act
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Young celebrities could soon be banned from advertising alcohol in South Korea, as figures show more people than ever are drinking, it's been reported.

A bill restricting people under the age of 25 from appearing in advertisements for alcoholic beverages has passed a key committee vote, and will become law if approved in the National Assembly, . That means 21-year-old singer Lee Ji-eun, known to her fans as IU, would have to stop advertising a popular brand of soju liquor, the paper says. According to Chosun Ilbo, the bill was proposed after skater Kim Yuna helped advertise a brewery when she was 22 years old, leading lawmakers to question whether young idols could be enticing teenagers to drink.

The bill comes at a time where government figures show drinking levels are at an all-time high in South Korea, . Locals drink 13.7 shots of liquor per week, twice as much as Russian drinkers. Alcohol consumption is particularly high among young women, with 64.8% of women in their twenties saying they drink regularly, and one-in-ten admitting they are heavy drinkers, . A Seoul Metropolitan Government survey cited young women as saying that their alcohol consumption was the combined result of stress and "the necessities of social life".

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