Karina's beer commercial shoot sparked controversy unexpectedly?

For a long time, the Korean alcohol industry, for reasons such as not wanting to influence teenagers to drink, has made an effort not to use idols under the age of 24 as advertising models. Moreover, the National Assembly currently also retains related legislation.

Image Source Instagram|katarinabluu

However, according to Korean media reports, Lotte Chilsung's new product set to launch on the 21st has once again faced criticism for featuring Karina, a member of the girl group aespa. Currently 23 years old, the choice of such a popular idol among adolescents as a spokesperson has led to a fair amount of backlash, not just due to age concerns.

Although Karina is now of legal age and there is no legal issue with her serving as a spokesperson for alcohol advertisements, the industry has always tried to avoid using artists under the age of 24, or artists who have a significant influence on teenagers, as advertising representatives.

Just like in 2015, the then 22-year-old singer IU once served as the spokesperson for a soju advertisement, which unexpectedly sparked controversy. The National Assembly even proposed to amend the law to prevent celebrities under the age of 24 from participating in alcohol-related advertisements, an act that came to be known as the "IU Law." However, the bill, due to its unconstitutionality, was ultimately not passed and remains on hold.

Image Source Instagram|katarinabluu

According to South Korean media actual interviews with alcohol brands, like OB Beer and HITE Jinro are currently not using endorsers who are under 24 years old. For instance, the model for OB Beer is singer and actress Suzy (29 years old), for HITE's Jinro soju it's singer IU (34 years old), Kelly Beer is represented by actor Son Sukku (40 years old), and TERRA beer by actor Gong Yoo (44 years old).

The Lotte Seven Stars side stated, "The target group for KRUSH is the MZ generation of young people, which is why we chose Karina, who is very popular among young people, as the spokesperson."

News of Karina becoming a beer advertisement spokesperson sparked controversy, which also led to a heated discussion on Korean online communities. Comments such as "She's already an adult... And there are so many variety shows featuring drinking on YouTube and television... Karina is 23 years old, why do they have to write such news about her?" and "Karina doesn't have that kind of very young image, I think it's okay," "What is this nonsense?" "They even got IU's age wrong, IU is 30 years old..." "It's not like she's Jang Wonyoung, what's the problem with Karina?" "Could this news have been fabricated by a rival, LOL? She's not underage, she's already an adult, why all the nonsense…" "Roh Yoon-seo and Kim Chae-won were both born in 2000, haven't they both done alcohol ads?"