Selling Clothes with 'Sampung Department Store Collapse' Photo? ... "Sales Suspended, Apology to Bereaved Families"

Company Apologizes, "Will Donate All Sales Proceeds to Bereaved Families"

A clothing brand apologized for using photos of the Sampoong Department Store collapse in their products.
/Photo by the brand's official website

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] A domestic clothing company faced backlash and apologized after selling sweatshirts printed with photos of the Sampoong Department Store collapse disaster.

On the 12th, a post titled "Clothes printed with photos of the Sampoong Department Store collapse" was uploaded on an online community. The post author pointed out that the sweatshirt's name was "Crumble Oversized Heavy Sweatshirt" along with photos of the product, saying, "It's hard to believe they used the photo without knowing, considering the sweatshirt's name itself is 'Crumble,' which means to break down or collapse."

In particular, the author added, "(If this product is from the) 2020FW collection, it means it has been continuously sold since last year."

As the controversy intensified, the company issued an apology on its official website, stating, "We sincerely apologize for causing additional pain to the bereaved families of the Sampoong Department Store disaster."

Regarding the reason for planning the product, the company explained, "The keyword for the '2020 FW campaign,' which included this sweatshirt, was 'safety negligence,' intending to remind everyone not to be complacent about safety awareness and to reflect on past mistakes to prevent such misfortunes from happening again."

They continued, "However, we deeply regret and apologize once again for producing and selling the product, which could be perceived differently from our intentions due to ignorance."

The scene at the site during the Sampoong Department Store collapse accident.
Photo by Yonhap News

The product, released last fall, is known to have sold about 120 units so far. The company promised, "We will ensure that all proceeds from the sales of the product will be donated to the bereaved families who have suffered pain," and added, "We will review and improve our immature management methods."

Currently, the product is reported to be discontinued at all sales outlets.

Meanwhile, the Sampoong Department Store collapse accident, which occurred in June 1995, is considered the worst human tragedy in history, with 502 deaths and over 900 injuries.

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