The subway ad featuring actor Byeon Woo-seok and actress Kim Hye Yoon was taken down following complaints from fans who objected to seeing them together.
On January 22, Giftree, the fan voting website, posted an announcement regarding Byeon Woo-seok and Kim Hye Yoon's subway ad.
Giftree started by stating, "We'd like to explain why the ad featuring Byeon Woo-seok and Kim Hye Yoon, who ranked first in the November season vote, was taken down."
They continued, "After the ad went up, the transportation authority received over 40 complaints saying things like, 'Why are they together?' According to their internal policies, even a single complaint requires the ad to be removed, so we had to take it down immediately."
They added, "We tried to repost the ad, but ongoing complaints made it impossible. Our designer even modified the design and submitted it for review at all subway stations, but it was rejected for the same reason. The transportation authority proposed a new version where Byeon Woo-seok and Kim Hye Yoon would each appear for 10 seconds, hoping this would resolve the issue. However, we were told the ad still couldn't move forward because the complaints kept coming in."
Giftree further explained, "If the complaints continue, Byeon Woo-seok and Kim Hye Yoon may not be able to run any ads through us—or even have any subway ads at all. We sincerely ask fans to stop submitting complaints and approach this with understanding."
Byeon Woo-seok and Kim Hye Yoon, who received widespread attention after starring in tvN's romantic comedy series "Lovely Runner" together, were featured in the Giftree ad as the grand prize winners of the Drama Couple We Wish to Meet Again vote.
The ad was originally scheduled to run at Konkuk University Station on Line 7 from January 13 to 27.
(Credit= Online Community, Giftree)