[Reporter’s Notebook] Musinsa, a Carefully Built Tower Can Collapse in an Instant

Lee Seung-jin, Consumer Economy Department Reporter

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] "I certify my withdrawal from Musinsa. I will never use it again."

A wave of 'withdrawal certifications' is continuing on Musinsa, the number one online fashion platform in Korea. What could have ended as a simple incident escalated due to clumsy responses and insincere apologies. It truly makes one realize how a carefully built tower can collapse overnight.

The incident is straightforward. When discount coupons were offered only to female members, male members raised concerns about fairness. However, the response was unexpected. Instead of an explanation, the account of the member who raised the issue was suspended for 60 days. This ultimately sparked strong backlash from male members. After receiving multiple complaints from male members, Musinsa tried to soothe the situation with a 'notice' rather than an apology, which only made things worse.

Eventually, on the 8th, Musinsa CEO Jomanho personally wrote an apology letter. After the apology, the backlash from members grew even stronger. The apology letter cannot be found on the main page of the Musinsa website; it is only accessible by clicking on the announcements. The apology posted on the application caused even more problems. Since users had to scroll through more than 50 advertisement banners to see the apology, questions about sincerity were raised.

The coupons that were belatedly issued to male members to restore fairness also caused issues, as some members did not receive them and they were not applicable to certain products. As a result, usage restrictions were imposed just one day after issuance. Enraged by Musinsa’s repeated missteps, dozens of male members are certifying their withdrawal every day.

Once the issue surfaced, past controversies resurfaced as well. These include the sock advertisement that had apologized for insulting activist Park Jongcheol, allegations of power abuse by tenant brands, and startup plagiarism controversies, all spreading like wildfire.

Musinsa rapidly grew with the enthusiastic support of the MZ generation (Millennials + Generation Z), surpassing 1.4 trillion KRW in sales last year. The 'coolness' and 'fairness' that the MZ generation values as core principles are also Musinsa’s core values. This incident is difficult to view as just growing pains. Members leaving cannot be retained by excuses and avoidance alone. Maintaining core values is fundamental to business. It is time to reflect on the mindset from the early days of the startup.

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