T-ara agrees to boycott alcohol ads

Following the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s plea to entertainment agencies and advertisers to keep young K-pop stars out of ads for alcoholic beverages, T-ara vowed its support for the mission.

Core Contents Media announced via a press release on Tuesday that the girl group had often been presented with deals worth hundreds of millions of won to promote alcohol, but has declined each time.

The agency said that it would not take part in any endorsements that present the Korean drinking culture in a favorable light among minors, who make up the group’s biggest fan base.

According to the municipal government, alcohol advertisements are currently shown on average 574 times per day via television, radio, newspapers and magazines, and 17 of 22 alcohol ads use K-pop stars and actors as their main models.

A recent advertisement featured Hyun-a from 4Miinute, Hara from KARA and Hyolyn from Sistar wearing sexy pants and dancing in a club while holding bottles of soju.

By Carla Sunwoo

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