In August, 2011, the Korean Center for Disease Control and Prevention better known as the CDC disclosed a report that certain humidifier disinfectants could have lethal consequences, particularly due to  lung function of fetuses. And as the report was released only after the death of four expectant mothers in that year, the administrative bodies were severely criticized for their late response. Despite the tragedy, however, not too many people seemed to care about the incident. This might have been because of low media coverage or maybe even the public’s safety frigidity. But as of 2016, people are not only aware of what had happened but also took steps to boycott some of these products. So, what has triggered this change in awareness?

In many ways, this was more than a group of victims demanding compensation from major conglomerates that manufactured and retailed the problematic products. In fact, it was an incident which demonstrated the growing power of consumers and their concern for health as marked first by Lotte Mart’s formal apology and later the arrest of key Oxy figures. Networking platforms including SNS have enabled consumers to better engage in collective measures, resulting in noticeable changes in corporate action and policies. Such changes would not have been possible without the fairly recent developments of  public interest as well as their access to efficient communication channels. Furthermore, the tables seemed to have turned between giant corporations and ordinary consumers as the public enforces fiduciary duties in sensitive areas like healthcare. And seeing how Reckitt Benckiser, the parent company of Oxy, is under heavy fire, the enforcement seems to be working.

Another side to this incident is the public’s attitude change toward health in general. Over the past several years, many people have become conscious of their health as shown in the increased sales of dietary supplements and even air purifiers. But more importantly, they have begun to think twice about using antimicrobial agents that are proven to be toxic and thereby cause as many health problems as they alleviate. Not surprisingly, we have not seen companies take responsibilities or institutions regulating these substances up until now.

We can observe how the change in market environment in the form of stronger consumer authority and different takes on public health could bring about significant change. For instance, networking platforms have empowered consumers to take a bolder stance. A healthy lifestyle now seems to mean something very different from germ phobia. In summary, there is always more to an issue than what we initially perceive.