Seoul (CNN) – South Korea’s largest dairy company, Seoul Milk, apologized after publishing a controversial ad in which, according to some critics, women are characterized as cows.
“We sincerely apologize to those who have been made uncomfortable by the advertising video about milk uploaded to Seoul Milk’s official YouTube channel on the 29th of last month,” Seoul Milk’s parent company Seoul Dairy Cooperative said in a statement published in its official website on December 8.
The announcement provoked a negative reaction from the public and sparked a debate about sexism in the country. Some users of social networks also said that it justified the recording of women in secret, a crime known as “molka” that has been become a widespread problem in South Korea in recent years.
The video, now removed, it shows a man carrying a camera strolling through the countryside somewhere in Cheorwon-gun, Gangwon province.
A voice-over narrates: “We finally managed to capture his images in a place where nature has been kept clean.” He then comes to a stream, where women dressed in white drink water and stretch in a meadow.
The male voice continues: “We decided to approach them cautiously, who are drinking clean water from nature, eating organic food and living peacefully in pleasant surroundings.”
When the man approaches people, he accidentally steps on a twig, alerting the group, which transforms into cows.
When the ad ran, social media users flocked to YouTube, leaving comments like “I disgust” or “This is too much,” according to CNN affiliate JTBC.
Seoul Milk insisted that there were also men in the video, but they were not recognizable, JTBC reported.
At first, Seoul Milk said the ad had been received differently than it was intended, adding that the company wanted to focus on the organic origins of its product. The company insisted that it did not intend to portray women as cows, as some users had suggested.
However, the company later deleted the video so as not to cause further inconvenience, JTBC reported.
“We take this matter very seriously, and we will pay more attention and review to avoid similar problems in the future,” the company said in its apology.
https://peatix.com/user/9062808
https://wakelet.com/wake/UAa7MBiLwnLd0kewUpvt7
https://wakelet.com/wake/3fP399RD3fUk0nFJt661D
https://wakelet.com/wake/FI-znwwqY0iU_G6dmCUsk
https://wakelet.com/wake/Z3vGxw2AhAXz7digqpNhX
https://wakelet.com/wake/yewJz8eU5uWr-RC4BAvUW
https://wakelet.com/wake/sJ05LM8sVPxsZkbhXpaJe
https://wakelet.com/wake/PoL5VeLUKvsrkplud9HXi
https://wakelet.com/wake/cJCKn-Hp3-ZyhkGi5Q96r
https://wakelet.com/wake/B5VhTwJa-AAq_ZNLMYuq0
https://wakelet.com/wake/CupVH_ydon3jUbhCW5kxh
https://wakelet.com/wake/EiKDpGAa7ZWQJN6c-DJKh
https://wakelet.com/wake/7dScThPhc9r6vylXQI8v-
https://wakelet.com/wake/CF2e0xsLsEu2BnIzrRcnC
https://wakelet.com/wake/Sn_uoYiCJ1-5pFHsh1xS9
https://wakelet.com/wake/Tzf3vNMeS8IN8GdNmFKt1
https://wakelet.com/wake/BL4wMfTtU_CA_RvV3h16R
https://wakelet.com/wake/fguR16hqpxYSAzKSnu7CA
https://wakelet.com/wake/-imx1yKxhxUun-n33lO_u
https://wakelet.com/wake/icfMQkk7z5gVXFvzNBBsm
https://wakelet.com/wake/5nOULhKANmscwi1A3W2UG
https://wakelet.com/wake/xLCZfg2flWcxeGWIcyWUw
https://wakelet.com/wake/m2knOhMQwF4tvdPXfUipd
https://wakelet.com/wake/m973-JlryuUo5n49oNJJq
https://wakelet.com/wake/nvbtxixvgaky4IZ8rfl_R