‘Jipgeson’ Shaking Korean Industry, Companies Bruised by Online Hongwibyeong

The 'index finger shape controversy' sparked in the gaming industry is shaking the entire industrial sector. The index finger shape originated as an expression used in the past by the female supremacy community 'Megalia' to demean the male genitalia. Nowadays, it is recognized as a symbolic image of 'misandry.' The 'gender conflict' in our society is moving into the workplace, and companies are becoming targets of 'ideological screening.' Because the ripple effect of the hate controversy is so significant that it even leads to boycotts, it is emerging as a new risk for companies.

The recent controversy over the index finger gesture started from Nexon's 'MapleStory' promotional video.
[Photo source=Online community capture]

Both the Gaming Industry and the ‘Top 10 Conglomerates’ Are Struggling

The index finger confirmed in the POSCO TV video. The video has been set to private. [Image source=POSCO TV YouTube]

The recent controversy started with Nexon's game 'Maple Story.' When the index finger shape was found in a segment of the promotional animation video released last month, protests poured in, and the director apologized. The video was deleted. Legal action against the external company 'Ppuri Studio,' which produced the controversial video, was also announced. However, the controversy did not end there. Nine organizations, including the two major labor unions and the Korean Women's Minwoo Association, held a press conference in front of Nexon's headquarters, urging to "stop the forced controversy over the 'index finger'." Then, the Nexon union under the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions stated that they were considering withdrawal, saying, "The announcement was made without any consultation with us."

Other Nexon games such as 'Dungeon & Fighter,' 'Blue Archive,' Smilegate's 'Epic Seven,' and Kakao Games' 'Eternal Return' also got caught up in the same controversy. The next spark hit POSCO, one of the 'Top 10 Conglomerates.' The index finger shape was confirmed in a new employee recruitment video released on a YouTube channel, causing controversy. POSCO took no particular stance and made the video private. Samsung Electronics also became embroiled in controversy as reports and protests flooded in about the index finger shape appearing in internal messengers, bulletin boards, and restroom posters. All such images were either modified or deleted.

Once Trapped in the ‘Hate Frame,’ Attacked from Both Sides

GS25 promotional poster that caused controversy 2 years ago
[Photo by GS Retail]

From the moment a company is framed by the 'hate controversy,' it becomes a structure where it is attacked from both sides. A representative from a large corporation said, "It is impossible to prevent individual deviations, and it is not easy to verify whether there was intentionality. If you do not apologize, you are attacked for not apologizing, and if you do apologize, you are attacked from the other side for apologizing." Large communities such as 'Yeoseong Sidae' and 'FM Korea' pinpoint related articles and engage in comment and recommendation activities to create favorable public opinion for their side. Some say it reminds them of the 'Red Guards' during China's Cultural Revolution, who rampaged and destroyed cultural heritage with thousands of years of history.

The same happened to GS Retail two years ago. In May 2021, controversy spread over the use of the index finger shape in GS25's camp advertisement image, leading to a boycott movement centered on male-dominated communities. When GS Retail apologized and said it would modify the problematic image, some female-dominated communities declared boycotts, saying, "Why apologize?" GS Retail's operating profit for Q2 2021 was 42.8 billion KRW, down 27.7% compared to the same period the previous year. This contrasted with BGF Retail, which operates CU, posting an operating profit of 58.7 billion KRW, up 31.9% year-on-year. GS Retail temporarily lost its position as the 'leader' in the distribution industry to BGF Retail. A GS Retail official said, "Since the incident, we have been checking all materials at least once more to ensure there is nothing that could cause controversy."

When news spread that Samsung Electronics had removed the controversial images this time, some female-dominated communities reacted with comments like, "Why comply with deletion requests when it hasn't even been verified?" and "I will buy an iPhone instead of a Galaxy." Companies are making efforts to minimize risks as much as possible. A company official said, "For example, when conducting preliminary investigations on partners such as MOU counterparts, we sometimes search keywords like 'misandry' and 'misogyny' on portals. We are always conscious because getting caught up in controversies can cause damage."

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