LG Electronics was fined 50 million won ($42,000) by South Korea’s antitrust watchdog for false advertisement of one of its home appliances, the government said Tuesday.

The Fair Trade Commission said LG falsely advertised that plastic containers inside its Kimchi refrigerators received certification from the US Food and Drug Administration. 



LG’s Kimchi containers met the safety standards of the FDA but did not receive certification. The FDA certifies only medicines and not plastic food containers, the FTC said.

“The false advertising may mislead consumers into believing that its Kimchi containers are superior to those of its rivals,” said a FTC official.

The FTC also said it is wrong for LG to use a phrase “environmentally friendly” to advertise the containers. LG used the word in its advertising on the grounds that the product is certified by the US FDA and has Korea’s HS mark. HS mark is given by the Korea Conformity Laboratories to guarantee a product is hygiene and safe.

“Under the law, an ‘environmentally friendly’ product refers to a product with improved environmental properties or function compared to the previous products or other products for the same use,” said the official.

By Shin Ji-hye (shinjh@heraldcorp.com)