'Jeongin, I'm Sorry' Goods Appear with Store Promotion... Backlash Over Commercialization

Photo by Online Community Capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-eun] There is growing public outrage as some individuals use the hashtag '#JeonginAhMianhae' challenge, which commemorates 16-month-old adoptee Jeong-in who died from abuse by her adoptive parents, for commercial purposes such as selling goods or promoting businesses.

On the 5th, a company posted on Instagram with the hashtag '#' 'JeonginAh Mianhae Challenge' and announced plans to sell goods featuring 'JeonginAh Mianhae' at prices ranging from 10,000 to 30,000 KRW. The seller said, "I put my apologetic feelings into the lettering and made it into a product," and stated they would sell various T-shirts, hats, and eco-bags on the sales site.

Later, when a netizen asked about the use of the proceeds in the comments on the seller's Instagram account, the seller replied, "I don't think it will sell? Why worry about that... If it does sell, I will donate," which further fueled public anger. Moreover, the detailed page on the product sales site lacked any information about donations or sponsorships, leading to criticism that the child abuse case was being exploited for commercial gain.

Photo by Online Community Capture

Among netizens, criticisms such as "If you are truly sorry, send a petition," "Trying to make money in the meantime? This commercialism has gone too far," "Are you really commemorating Jeong-in?" and "What is this... disgusting" have been voiced.

As the controversy continued, the seller deleted the post and explained on Instagram, "I am sorry. I simply designed the product with the purpose of spreading the 'JeonginAh Mianhae' challenge to many people, but I realized through many people's criticism that my thinking was short-sighted." The related products have also been removed from the sales site.

Meanwhile, there have been cases where promotional posts for restaurants or cafes included the 'JeonginAh Mianhae' hashtag purely for commercial use, regardless of the content. One Chinese restaurant posted a promotion for sweet and sour pork, writing, "Jeju's unique sweet and sour pork made with black pork. The name is ordinary sweet and sour pork, but the taste is not ordinary," and added several hashtags promoting the store along with the '#JeonginAh Mianhae' hashtag.

Also, a bar owner posted a photo on Instagram announcing shortened business hours, writing "Fighting to everyone struggling with COVID-19," and included the 'JeonginAh Mianhae' hashtag.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.