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| Singer-actress Hyeri. Yonhap |
By Dong Sun-hwa
Singer-actress Hyeri has been under fire for promoting her sister's shopping mall on a TV show, Saturday.
Creative group ING, representing her, took to its official Instagram to apologize.
"We are sorry for Hyeri's imprudent remark on 'DoReMi Market' aired Saturday," the agency wrote, Monday. "She made the remark for fun, without knowing it could cause a dispute. She has been reflecting on herself and will make sure to avoid a recurrence."
The tvN crew also apologized, saying, "We will completely obscure the name of the company for reruns and VOD."
The star, 25, got a single shot from the camera on the program, after getting a quiz answer right. For the shot, she jotted down the name of her sister's firm and displayed it. The crew partly blurred the name.
Hyeri said, "I invested in the company."
After the show went to air, the company's name topped the portal site's real-time search ranking.
While some claimed the promotion was not a big deal, many others pointed out that it was an unfair practice of product placement (PPL) by a celebrity, which could harm rivals. The Broadcasting Law here also bans excessive indirect advertising.
Hyeri debuted as a member of K-pop girl band Girl's Day and has also forged an acting career. She starred in tvN's hit drama "Reply 1988" in 2015.
