Prosecutors appeal acquittal of YouTuber who promoted controversial politician's milk product as wonder drug
Published: 28 Nov. 2025, 12:51
![Huh Kyung-young answers questions from the press as he enters the Uijeongbu District Court in Gyeonggi on May 16, on multiple charges including fraud and sexual assault. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/11/28/5037f946-e71c-45c0-a3c2-70eb7e05cecf.jpg)
Huh Kyung-young answers questions from the press as he enters the Uijeongbu District Court in Gyeonggi on May 16, on multiple charges including fraud and sexual assault. [YONHAP]
Prosecutors have appealed a lower court ruling acquitting a YouTuber who promoted a milk product created by a controversial politician as being effective against incurable diseases and cancer, legal authorities said Friday.
The product, Boolloyu, was created by Huh Kyung-young, a cult-like politician who ran for the Korean presidency multiple times. The controversial figure has been convicted and sentenced to prison on charges including false speech, barring him from running for public office until 2034. He has also been accused of sexually harassing his followers.
The Namyangju branch of the Uijeongbu District Prosecutors’ Office filed an appeal against the not-guilty verdict handed down to the defendant, who had been indicted for violating the Act on Labeling and Advertising of Foods.
In the appeal, prosecutors argued that “the lower court ruled that the defendant’s promotion of Boolloyu was not subject to the food advertising law because it was not based on product sales. However, the videos in question include references to pricing and profit, which qualify the content as commercial advertising under the law.
“The use of a specific individual’s face on the product as a sticker also constitutes advertising. We believe the lower court misinterpreted the law and are seeking a review from a higher court.”
The defendant was indicted without detention for promoting Boolloyu in six YouTube videos between October 2022 and March 2023. In the videos, the defendant made statements such as “Try the Huh Kyung-young milk” and “For those with incurable diseases or cancer, give it a try,” suggesting the product could prevent or treat illness.
Boolloyu is reportedly commercially available milk stamped with Huh's sticker, and is sold as a “spiritual product” at the Heaven Palace, a religious facility run by Huh.
The defendant was initially fined 10 million won ($6,800) in a summary indictment but contested the charge and sought a full trial, where the lower court found them not guilty.
While the initial court criticized the promotional content as “undesirable, as it promotes potentially harmful health claims to viewers,” it ruled that the food advertising law did not apply, as the videos were not intended for consumer sales.
The court also previously noted that the sticker in question did not fall under “utensils, containers or packaging” as defined by the Food Sanitation Act, which contributed to the not-guilty verdict.
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 JANG GU-SEUL [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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