Shocking ad controversy: Park Yongin—member of Urban Zakapa and CEO of Virture Company—kept his suspended prison sentence on appeal over the viral “butter‑free butter beer” case.
On the 26th, the Criminal Appeals Division 3 of the Seoul Eastern District Court dismissed the prosecution’s appeal in Park’s case, upholding the original verdict for violating the Act on Labeling and Advertising of Foods, etc. As a result, Park again received eight months in prison, suspended for two years—identical to the first trial.
Prosecutors argued the initial sentence was too light and appealed on the grounds of unfair sentencing, but the appellate court did not accept it. The court noted, among other factors, that the product itself did not contain harmful substances, and therefore dismissed the prosecution’s appeal.
Virture Company, led by Park, was indicted for distributing and selling beer products through convenience stores from 2022 to early 2023 while using product names, ad copy, social posts, and posters that could mislead consumers into believing butter was an ingredient—even though no butter was used.
The products in question, fronted with the word “butter” in names like “Butter Beer” and “Butter Base,” drew massive attention at launch. Within just a week, the initial 200,000-can shipment sold out, sparking viral popularity. But once it emerged that butter wasn’t actually in the ingredients, backlash exploded, leading to a probe by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.
In the first trial, the court ruled the ads were false or exaggerated, capable of making consumers mistakenly believe the beer contained butter. It also considered that Park’s status as a famous singer could have influenced consumer trust and product perception.
Accordingly, the first-instance court sentenced Park to eight months in prison with a two-year suspension and fined the corporate entity Virture Company 10 million won. Prosecutors appealed as too lenient and, at the April hearing in the appeals trial, sought a one-year prison term for Park. The appellate court, however, maintained the original sentence.
Park debuted with Urban Zakapa in 2009 and has released multiple hit songs beloved by fans.