"SPC's 100 Billion Won Investment in Safe Management: Public Apology... Will the Boycott Calm Down?"

SPC Chairman Heo Young-in: "We Will Do Our Best to Become a Trusted Company"
"Bread Made from Death" Online and Offline Boycott Spreads
"Innocent Franchise Owners, Self-Employed, and Families Suffer" Franchisees 'Worried and Anxious'

On the afternoon of the 20th, a participant holds a placard at the Seoul memorial event for the victims of the fatal accident at the Pyeongtaek SPC affiliate SPL's bakery factory, held in front of the SPC headquarters in Yangjae-dong, Seoul.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] Heo Young-in, chairman of SPC Group, bowed his head on the 21st in relation to the recent death accident of an affiliate employee. At 11 a.m. that day, at a press conference held at the SPC Group headquarters building located in Seocho-gu, Seoul, regarding the SPL accident, he said, "We have decided to do our best to honor the bereaved families so that they can overcome their grief and stand up." He also stated, "We will invest a total of 100 billion won to significantly strengthen the safety management system across the entire group to prevent such incidents from happening again."

Attention is focused on whether the boycott movement against SPC affiliates will subside following Chairman Heo's apology and measures to prevent recurrence. The boycott movement, urging people not to eat or buy products produced by SPC, is taking place both online and offline through Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and university bulletin boards.

Since the accident, lists of SPC affiliate brands such as Paris Baguette, Baskin Robbins, Dunkin, Shani, Samlip Food, Shake Shack, and Pascucci have been shared on social networking services (SNS) and online communities. This so-called 'SPC Group boycott' list is spreading along with the hashtag 'boycott.'

The boycott began following a fatal accident at the SPL factory in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, on the 15th. Around 6:20 a.m. that day, a female worker A (23), working at the factory, was caught in a sauce mixer machine and died. Subsequently, SPC's inadequate response after the accident is interpreted as a catalyst for the boycott movement.

Moreover, SPC has been criticized by citizens for leaving two boxes of Paris Baguette bread at the funeral site of the deceased A. The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) pointed out on its official Twitter, "This is beyond acceptable," and urged, "Let's never buy or take anything from SPC."

The boxes containing bread were found by A's family at the funeral site on the 16th. It is reported that SPC left them as condolence gifts under the company's policy for employee family events.

An SPC official explained, "When an employee or their family experiences a bereavement and a funeral site is set up, the company sends condolence gifts as it has done before, and since we are a bakery company, we sent bread."

Additionally, the fact that SPL factory workers continued working right next to the accident site after A's accident has also come under scrutiny. SPC even issued a press release on the 16th, shortly after the accident, promoting Paris Baguette's entry into London without mentioning the accident.

On the afternoon of the 20th, in front of the SPC headquarters in Yangjae-dong, Seoul, a representative of the Gasi group from the No Hak-yeon Association at Sungkonghoe University is unfolding a large poster at the Seoul memorial event for the victims of the fatal accident at the Pyeongtaek SPC affiliate SPL's bakery factory.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Boycott Movement Against SPC Group Affiliates Spreads in University Campuses

Not only online but also offline, the boycott against SPC continues. In university campuses, protest posters with slogans such as "Workers are not machines" and "Boycott all SPC affiliates" are being posted.

On the 19th, at Sungkonghoe University, a poster titled "SPC workers are not machines!" was posted on a campus bulletin board. Students expressed shock upon hearing the news of the death of a worker in her twenties and criticized that they might no longer consume products from SPC affiliates such as Paris Baguette and Baskin Robbins. It is reported that students are circulating a proposal to post solidarity posters together.

Furthermore, at Seoul National University, protest posters condemning SPC were posted not only at the SPC brand stores 'Paris Baguette' and 'Pascucci' but also in front of the 'Heo Young-in Seminar Room' inside the 'SPC Agricultural Life Science Research Building,' which was named after Chairman Heo.

The posters were put up by students belonging to the 'Make Seoul National University Free of Irregular Workers' group. In the posters, the students condemned, "SPC Group's 'antisocial' attitude, which has pursued cost reduction solely for profit, has treated even minimum safety equipment and workforce replenishment as cost-cutting targets, ultimately taking the life of a young worker." They emphasized, "Let's participate in the boycott of SPC Group until the group presents proper measures to prevent recurrence of death incidents."

In addition to criticism through posters, there are reports of movements to hold one-person protests in front of SPC affiliate stores. The Ewha Womans University labor solidarity group 'Bawi' is planning a 'Picketing by Ewha members for resolving the Paris Baguette issue' in front of the Paris Baguette store at Exit 3 of Ewha Womans University Station on the Seoul subway. Currently, 12 participants have expressed their intention to join, including students from the group and general students.

On the afternoon of the 17th, members of youth organizations held placards condemning the accident at a press conference urging the resolution of the "Bakery Factory Young Worker Death Incident" held in front of the SPC headquarters in Seocho-gu, Seoul. On the 15th, a young worker in his 20s died in an accident while working at the SPL bakery factory, an SPC affiliate, in Pyeongtaek-si, Gyeonggi Province. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Franchise Owners Anxious Over Boycott Movement

Given the situation, the Paris Baguette Franchise Owners Association issued a statement on the 19th, requesting, "We earnestly ask the media to refrain from using sensational language unrelated to the accident, such as 'blood-stained bread,' to attract public attention." They added, "While we fully understand the media's role in pointing out corporate faults and suggesting solutions, reporting with provocative and violent language that incites boycotts without considering the harm to innocent franchisee small business owners and their families is no different from the corporate behavior that ignores workers' human rights and seeks to maximize profits." They emphasized, "Reports should guide social movements aimed at securing worker safety in industrial sites by exposing corporate misconduct and management practices."

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