isolationist schoolchildren: ?Body Changing? Diet-Drink Generously Donated to High School ...

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Young Korean women ? not men ? are the only demographic in the OECD that are getting more underweight than obese.

Call me making a mountain out of a molehill, but diet-drink companies being allowed to donate their product to teens out of supposed concerns for their heath? And plastering their classrooms with ads of heavily photoshopped women in the process? That may just have something to do with that:

??? ??? ??? ???? ????? / Chung Jung Won?s HongCho Cheers For Students Taking University Entrance Exams

by Kim Jong-hoon (???), Asia Today, November 4 2012

??? ??? ???? ????? ??? ????? ?? ?3 ???? ???? ?? ?? 7??? ???? 20?? ??? ?? ??? ?? 2???? ??? ??? ????? 4? ???.

On Sunday, Daesang?s brand Chung Jung Won [English website here] announced that to support 3rd year high school students about to take their university entrance exams, they would visit 20 high schools in Seoul before the 8th (the day of the exams) and donate 20,000 bottles of HongCho to students (source, right).

????? ?? ????? ?? ????? ?? ????? ??? ? ? ??? ???? ?? ???? ?? ? ???? ????. ??? ?? ???? ??? ??? ??? ??? ???? ?? ??? ??? ????? ??? ????.

Chung Jung Won explained that this is an event for tired students that have been preparing for the exams for such a long time, so that they can be in good condition on the exam day. Also, that even after the exams, the company plans to continue supporting those students that have suffered so much, through various HongCho marketing events.

??, ??? ???? ?? ??? ?? ??? ??? ???? ???? ???, ??? ????? ???? ???? ?? ????? ?????.

HongCho is a functional vinegar drink that includes collagen, liquids extracted from the Oriental Raisin Tree, and a lot of fiber, and is very helpful for recovering from tiredness. (end.)

Granted, HongCho does sound quite healthy. And, by this (PDF) definition, it is technically not a diet-drink:

Diet drinks: Include calorie-free and low-calorie versions of sodas, fruit drinks, energy drinks, sports drinks, and carbonated water, consistent with definitions reported by the National Cancer Institute and U.S. Food and Drug Administration food labeling guidelines. Diet drinks do not include 100% fruit juice or unsweetened teas or coffees.

However, a quick perusal of producer Chung Jung Won?s website, as well as its advertisements, demonstrates that it is explicitly being marketed as a ?body-changing? drink, with ? especially after photoshopping ? exceptionally tall and skinny Jun Ji-hyun (???) endorsing it most recently (in the opening image; Kim Hee-sun/??? from 2010 is above). Also, the following screenshot (from 2011) and commercial show that the body-changing theme is no mere Konglish accident:

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There also appears to be a sponsorship deal with the Diet Wars program:

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Meanwhile, girl-group Kara (??) are promoting the drink in Japan, with much the same theme. But recall that these are actually the same women who can?t even drink water on the (frequent) days that they?re required to wear revealing clothing, which doesn?t sound very healthy to me:

What do you think? Have any Korea-based readers had similar promotions at their own schools? How about overseas? Are concerns and issues different there? I know that in the US for instance, it is more sodas that are the considered a problem, and that drinking HongCho instead would be considered a blessing. From TIME back in March (my emphasis):

If some public-health advocates have their way, sodas could become the cigarettes of food. Doctors already dislike the sugary drinks for their teeth-dissolving properties and for the role they may play in childhood obesity. There?s a constant struggle to get soda vending machines out of public schools, with administrators often forced to choose between losing sponsorship money from big soda companies and dealing with overcaffeinated, less healthy kids. Given the sheer size of the American soda industry ? 9.4 billion cases of soft drinks were sold in the U.S. in 2009 ? it?s not a war that will end anytime soon. Especially if a certain C word starts getting thrown around.

Update: From the picture, I got the impression that is was only girls? schools that were targeted, but the advertorial (I can?t bring myself to call it a news report) only mentions 20 schools, and is repeated verbatim across newspapers. If readers find any more information though, please pass it on here!

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