Article: [DHC Boycott] "Josenjing", "p*nis art?"..you touched something you shouldn't have
Source: Seoul Economy via Nate
A famous Japanese cosmetics company is under fire for it's controversial comments.
DHC TV, a subsidiary of DHC, a Japanese cosmetics company, uploaded a YouTube video where a guest on the program was heard saying, "Joseonjin (derogatory term for Koreans) used Chinese characters but weren't able to turn them into writing. Japan is the one that united hangul (Korean alphabet) and made it what it is now."
Another guest on the program, while referring to the Sonyeosang (a statue symbolizing comfort women [victims of sexual slavery] also known as "Statue of Peace") stated, "Is it ok to show private parts (p*nis) and call that modern contemporary art?"
The comments caused controversy online and a Korean media reporter asked DHC for clarifications but they refused to respond. DHC then deactivated the comment section of their YouTube and Instagram accounts. Angry, netizens took to social media and trended #FarewellDHC on Twitter.
Amid growing controversy, public sentiment also turned against Jung Yu-mi who's a model for the brand. Netizens left comments cursing her on Instagram and said, "Stop being a model for that disgusting DHC!" "Terminate your contract", "You better not re-sign with them."
Due to growing criticism, Jung Yu-mi's agency Ace Factory released a preliminary statement on the 12th and stated, "Jung Yu-mi is having a difficult time because her SNS is being flooded with messages cursing and criticizing her. We are well aware of the public's sentiment and we are of the same opinion. We are looking into various measures."
Later that day, they released an official statement and said, "Hello, this is Ace Factory. First, we want to explicitly state that we think DHC's statements are absurd and very unfortunate. Jung Yu-mi signed an endorsement contract with DHC Korea in 2018 and sharing of DHC photos on her social media were part of her advertising contract. However, due to the seriousness of DHC's remarks, we have requested for termination of Jung Yu-mi's contract and are asking DHC to retract their use of her photos as well as cease all endorsement activities. We have also deleted all DHC related posts on SNS. Furthermore, we will never re-sign with the company."
This is not DHC TV's first controversy. The program reportedly got suspended on YouTube last year following a series of violent remarks. DHC's Chairman Yoshida Yoshiaki has also been criticized by Koreans for his support of far-right parties.
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| DHC Model Jung Yu-mi |