Hong Kong: Hong Kong K-pop ad “Obsession: The Sugar-Coated Trap” was pulled after online users said the AI-generated anti-drug video appeared to promote drugs rather than warn against them.
The Correctional Services Department posted the one-minute video on June 26 and removed it after widespread online ridicule.
The video featured four virtual performers named Weedy, Icy, Coke and Little E, representing cannabis, ice, cocaine and etomidate.
The characters introduced themselves with lines describing the effects of the substances, then transformed into old men behind bars.
The department said on Facebook that the video aimed to warn the public that drugs could harm the body and ruin lives.
Local reporting said the department later withdrew and revised the AI video after criticism that the presentation glamorised narcotics.
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Some Threads users argued the video sounded more like a drug promotion because it listed drug names and effects.
Official Hong Kong data said etomidate became the most common drug among reported young drug abusers under 21 in 2025. Hong Kong recorded 1,281 serious drug cases in 2025, up 15% from the previous year.
