GS25 Designer Explains 'Namhyum Controversy': "Working Mom with Husband and Son... Does Not Support Any Ideology"

GS25 Deletes Event Poster Amid 'Namhyum Controversy'
Poster Designer Says "Image Created for Promotion, Frustrated to Be Labeled as Megal and Feminist Symbol"

GS25 camping event poster embroiled in controversy over misandry. As the controversy grew, GS25 eventually deleted the poster. Photo by GS25.

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Recently, a camping event poster released by convenience store GS25 has become embroiled in a 'misandry' controversy. The poster designer apologized for the controversy but stated, "I am an ordinary working mom with a son and a husband, far from misandry, and do not support any such ideology."

On the 9th, an anonymous post titled "I am the GS25 designer" was uploaded on the anonymous workplace community 'Blind.' Introducing themselves as the GS25 designer at the center of the controversy, Mr. A apologized, saying, "I am very sorry to the customers who were inconvenienced by this incident, many franchise owners who suffered damages, OFCs (Operations Field Consultants) who work tirelessly on site, and designers who were misunderstood and harmed due to similar job groups."

He continued, "The situation has grown so large, and it seems irreversible now. I am posting this with sincere hope that no further damage will occur due to this incident."

Mr. A said, "I wanted to convey my sincerity earlier, but the company told me not to reveal myself due to various internal circumstances and personal privacy protection," adding, "I was in a situation where I could not step forward, fearing that my unilateral actions might cause greater harm."

Regarding the incident, he urged restraint from speculation, stating, "We are undergoing investigations through internal company procedures, including organizational culture and management diagnosis."

Logo of the female supremacy online community 'Megalia'. Photo by Online Community

The controversy began on the 1st with a camping goods event promotional poster produced by GS25. Some male communities claimed that the hand gesture in the poster resembled the symbol used by the female community 'Megalia.' Additionally, some pointed out that the last letters of each word in the English phrase on the poster, 'Emotional Camping Must-have Item,' combine to form the word 'megal,' raising suspicions of misandry.

Mr. A addressed each controversial point. Regarding the hand gesture symbolizing 'Megal' and the sausage, he explained, "The camping event is a promotion where purchasing processed meat products gives camping goods. Since processed meat products are central, we naturally thought of sausages when designing. We used a sausage illustration from last November and placed the same sausage above the title."

He added, "I never thought the hand image was a symbol representing Megal or feminism."

Regarding the problematic phrase 'Emotional Camping Must-Have Item,' he explained, "This phrase was given by the event manager," and "the controversy arose because we right-aligned the text to avoid awkwardness on the page."

Mr. A expressed frustration over the situation, saying, "It is frustrating that images created by employees with sound values for promotion are being labeled as symbols of Megal or feminism," and "The company is currently investigating all work computers related to this issue."

He also said, "The main reason I am writing this is to prevent further victims from this incident," and "It is very unfortunate that the company's apology statement does not provide sufficient explanation."

Finally, Mr. A appealed, "The company repeatedly told me not to reveal myself under the pretext of protecting personal information, but after hearing about other designers in the design team being misunderstood because of me, I wrote this hoping no more victims would arise," and "Please stop personal attacks on designers."

Meanwhile, as the controversy over the poster intensified, GS25 eventually deleted the poster. On the 4th, GS Retail CEO Cho Yoonseong posted on the franchise owners' bulletin board, saying, "We did not recognize the social issues in the design elements," and "We deeply reflect on the unexpected hurt and inconvenience caused to customers due to insufficient in-depth review and immediate response after the controversy arose."

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