Lee Criticizes Musinsa's Past "It Dried Up with a Gasp after a Tap" Ad: "How Can Someone in Human Form Do This?"

On May 20, President Lee Jae-myung criticized Musinsa for using the advertising phrase "I tapped it and suddenly it dried up," saying, "Money may be a demon, but is it possible to act like this while wearing the mask of a human?"

On this day, President Lee shared a photo of a sock advertisement posted by the clothing retailer Musinsa in 2019 on his X (formerly Twitter) account and made these comments.

At the time, Musinsa caused controversy by using the phrase "I tapped it and suddenly it dried up." In response, Musinsa deleted the advertisement and posted an official apology stating, "We sincerely apologize to everyone who may have felt uncomfortable."

President Lee stated, "This advertisement insults and mocks the torture and death of democracy activist Park Jongcheol and the June Democratic Uprising that was sparked by the incident. This was reported to me, so I need to verify if it is true. I ask everyone to check as well." He further pointed out, "I hope it is not true, but if it is, this is indeed a very serious issue."

Previously, on the anniversary of the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement, President Lee targeted Starbucks for holding a "Tank Day" event, condemning it by saying, "I am outraged by the inhumane and outrageous conduct of such unscrupulous merchants." In response, Chung Yong-jin, Chairman of Shinsegae, issued a public apology and dismissed the Starbucks CEO.

Screenshot of President Lee Jae-myung on X (formerly Twitter).

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