Arachi Chicken Will Not Renew Contract with Lee Kang-in

by Kim Hyunjeong1

Published 19 Feb.2024 21:53(KST)

Player Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain FC) has become embroiled in a controversy over insubordination within the national team, causing companies that use him as an advertising model to face difficulties. Amid this, it has been reported that 'Araci Chicken' has decided not to renew its contract with the player.

[Photo by Arachi Chicken SNS screen capture]

On the 19th, Yonhap News and others reported that the chicken franchise company 'Araci Chicken' will not extend its advertising contract with Lee Kang-in, which is set to expire at the end of this month. Araci Chicken has removed Lee Kang-in’s advertisement videos from its official website, although his advertisements reportedly remain on Instagram.

Araci Chicken is a franchise brand launched by Samhwa FNC in 2022. After selecting Lee Kang-in as its model in January last year, Araci Chicken actively promoted Lee Kang-in marketing by releasing the 'Lee Kang-in Set' and introducing limited edition packaging boxes featuring his photo.

However, as Lee Kang-in recently became the center of a discord incident within the football national team during the Qatar Asian Cup, the company’s social media platforms have been flooded with negative comments such as "I will not eat if Lee Kang-in is used as an advertising model." Seeing signs of a boycott against their products, Araci Chicken appears to have ultimately decided not to consider renewing the contract with the player.

This is not the first time companies that employed Lee Kang-in as an advertising model have withdrawn him from their advertisements. KT removed the 'Samsung Electronics Galaxy S24 Promotion Poster' featuring Lee Kang-in from nationwide dealerships and sales outlets ahead of schedule. Since signing a sponsorship contract with Lee Kang-in in 2019, KT has worked with him for six consecutive years in various fields including advertising models, product and branding promotions, customer events, and sports content. However, KT has stated that no decision has been made yet regarding the termination of the sponsorship contract with Lee Kang-in.

Online video service (OTT) Coupang Play also recently broadcasted Paris Saint-Germain’s matches while removing photos and subtitles related to Lee Kang-in, who started in the lineup. The representative photo for that day’s match was changed from Lee Kang-in to France national team player Mbapp?.

Meanwhile, Lee Kang-in has been embroiled in controversy after it was revealed that he clashed with captain Son Heung-min the day before the Asian Cup semifinal against Jordan in the Qatar Asian Cup.