7/4(수)-Entertainers on Private Loan Ad Blamed

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Entertainers on Private Loan Ad Blamed
Entertainers on advertisements for private loan firms have come under criticism by the public who say that such ads often mislead consumers who get embroiled in larger financial debt due to high interest rates.

Consumers have been expressing their disapproval over entertainers who pose as models for such commercials by pouring vindictive comments toward them on the Internet, distributing blacklists of the entertainers who have been on the ads and forming hate clubs in cyberworld.

In April, one Internet user at Daum portal site, named ``Silhouette,’’ proposed Internet users sign up to make a petition against television networks to take such ads off the air. More than 2,000 people signed the petition. ``We can no longer take such hypocritical private loan companies and entertainers that drive people into great financial debt,’’ wrote Silhouette on the proposal.

They say that as a public figure who can greatly influence ordinary people, entertainers should not appear in the ads of private loan companies which can mislead the public. `Celebrities should be more sensible in choosing advertisements since they have a great influence on consumers’ decision-making,’’ said Jang Soo-tae, an official at the Consumer Protection Board.

According to the board, the number of registered civil appeals regarding complaints about private loan firms increased from 267 in 2005 to 500 last year. Between January and April, the number stood at 133.

Consumers who made civic appeals said that private loan companies’ excessively high annual interest rates which almost reaches 67 percent, unfairly caused them to bear serious financial burdens. Owing to the public’s strong rejection of commercials for private loan companies, they have recently disappeared from major television networks and can only be seen on cable television channels at the moment.

Currently, there are about 20 celebrities who are under attack. They include Choi Soo-jong, Choi Min-shik, Choi Jeong-yoon, Tak Jae-hoon, Ahn Hye-kyung, Choi Jeong-won, Wang Bin-na, Shin Hye-jin, Lee Beom-jin, Ahn Yon-hong, Kim Mi-ryo and Cho Won-seok.


Question

1. Did you see that private loan firms advertisement that entertainers are in? How did you feel?
2. Following the latest survey, 53% of adults answered that "I was going to hate the entertainer who are in the private loan firms advertisement". On the other hand, people praise the entertainer who rejects that advertisement. What do you think about that?
3. Do you think celebrities should be sensible in choosing advertisements despite lots of money ?
If you are in their shoes, what are you going to do?
4. what do you think is the reason of lots of Private Loan Advertisement are in these days?