GS25 Poster That Sparked 'Namhyum Controversy', Apologizes Amid Ongoing Debate

GS25 announced a promotional event throughout May offering camping products as gifts, but the poster they released has sparked controversy over alleged 'misandry,' drawing strong criticism from netizens.
[Photo by GS25]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] Convenience store GS25's event promotional poster has been embroiled in a controversy over alleged misogyny. As a boycott movement arose among consumers, the company apologized, stating, "We will prepare more carefully in the future to avoid misunderstandings."

On the 1st, GS25 announced a promotional event giving away camping products throughout May and revealed a poster on its social media accounts with the phrase "Camping Gaja Emotional Camping Must-have Item."

However, shortly after its release, some pointed out that the hand-shaped illustration on the poster was an expression of misogyny. The hand shape is said to symbolize the online community "Megalia."

Additionally, the sausage illustration at the fingertips and the English phrase used on the poster sparked controversy. Reading the last letters of each word in the phrase "Emotional Camping Must-have Item" backwards spells "Megal," referring to "Megalia."

The second poster (left) and the third poster (right), reissued after revisions due to intense controversy.
[Photo by GS25]

In response, GS25 deleted the controversial phrase and illustration and reposted a revised poster. However, the newly added pattern on the revised poster was suspected to resemble the logo of a feminist society at Seoul National University. The company made a third revision and posted it again, but suspicions arose that the stars in the background below the left side of the character "Ping" were arranged in the shape of the Megalia logo's hand. Ultimately, GS25 deleted the related poster.

In response to fierce criticism from netizens demanding an apology and threatening a boycott, GS25 finally issued an apology on the 2nd. GS25 stated, "During the process of announcing the camping prize event, we received opinions that some design elements could cause misunderstandings among customers, so we revised the design and posted it again," adding, "Going forward, GS25 will exercise more careful review and attention in preparing event images and phrases to avoid misunderstandings."

Former People Power Party Supreme Council member Lee Jun-seok posted on his Facebook on the 2nd, sharing an article related to the GS25 poster embroiled in a 'misandry' controversy.
[Photo by Facebook]

Meanwhile, former People Power Party Supreme Council member Lee Jun-seok also shared an article about the GS25 poster on his Facebook page and voiced criticism. He said, "Those who adamantly deny that there is no gender conflict probably do not even understand the context in which this is being reported." Regarding the phrase used on the poster, he also pointed out, "'emotional camping must-have item' is neither proper English nor Konglish. Konglish would be something like 'must-have emotional camping item.'"

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