Liver Damage After Taking the Chinese Diet Products", First Damage in Korea

The Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA) launched a nationwide crackdown on Chinese diet products as suspected cases of liver damage based on Chinese diet supplements were reported.

However, the KFDA hided the fact for one week even it received the report from a hospital. Also, KFDA hasn’t taken any measure such as a distribution prohibition on the products and so KFDA is getting all the blames from the public.

According to Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA) on July 29, ‘S’ hospital estimated that 37 years old woman who consumed the Chinese diet products for 2 months is suffering from the liver damage, and so requested a chemical analysis on this product.

The KFDA officials said that this product is a pollen processing food which can be purchased through cable TV home shopping channel, and 84kg of this diet supplements has been imported 4 times from 2001 to the present.

The KFDA said “We will open the name of the questioned product to the public, if a forbidden ingredient is mixed in the product as the result of chemical analysis.

Even after finding the death of 4 Japanese women who consumed these products, the KFDA didn’t investigate the actual conditions of these products and didn’t take the measure of distribution prohibition saying ‘We don’t have a right to control directly’.

hanscho@donga.com