Broadcaster turned entrepreneur Hyun Young (48) has refuted allegations that she resold luxury brand promotional items given to customers for free.
On the 22nd, Hyun Young took to her social media to clarify, "I want to address a few things regarding the Dior products we introduced through Hyun Young's Choice last March." She continued, "In order to introduce products our customers would love, we worked with an official purchasing agent and received a referral fee for the event products introduced on Hyun Young's Choice."
Hyun Young added, "Hyun Young's Choice is a site operated with the goal of introducing our beauty brand to more customers. We will continue to work harder to ensure our customers have a satisfying shopping experience."
Previously, Hyun Young had sold a promotional pouch, given away for free with purchases at luxury brand department stores, for 85,000 won.
During this process, Hyun Young emphasized, "This product was a limited amenity for VIP customers who made significant purchases at the store and is currently a sold-out hot item. We made it available for purchase on Hyun Young's Choice for 85,000 won today." She also promoted the pouch by saying, "Adding a strap turns it into a bag, perfect for spring and summer travels."
Some netizens have compared Hyun Young's actions to the character 'Shoovely Mom' parodied by comedian Lee Su-ji. Shoovely Mom is a satirical take on an influencer entrepreneur who uses flamboyant rhetoric to make the products she sells more appealing and approachable to customers.
Meanwhile, Hyun Young married a finance professional four years her senior in 2012 and has two children. In 2013, Hyun Young revealed she was a victim of a Ponzi scheme orchestrated by a Mr. A, who defrauded 282 members of an online site of approximately 40 billion won.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Kyung-youn)