Promising to Promote Korea's Charm, Ends Up in "Apology"... Full Refunds Issued

[Anchor] Following a recent controversy over a foreign burger brand using botched South Korean flag merchandise, a similar incident has occurred with a sports brand, hasn't it?

[Reporter] The product in question was a T-shirt designed by New Balance to promote the charm of Korea and Seoul.

[Voice] However, the Taegeuk pattern printed on the T-shirt appeared to be upside down, and the positions of the four trigrams, known as geon-gon-gam-ri, differed from the standard South Korean flag, sparking controversy.

[Reporter] As this situation unfolded, some consumers even raised suspicions that there might have been a political motive behind it.

[Voice] Professor Seo Kyoung-duk of Sungshin Women's University, who raised the issue, criticized the brand, stating that for a global company, a basic understanding and respect for the host country's symbols should come first.

[Reporter] As the controversy grew, New Balance Korea announced an immediate suspension of both online and offline sales, promising full refunds regardless of where the items were purchased.

[Voice] Meanwhile, the company responsible for the design explained that a design originally created for dark-colored apparel was applied to a white T-shirt, causing the shading to appear in red and creating a visual misunderstanding, while clarifying that there were no political intentions.

(Photo Source: Professor Seo Kyoung-duk's social media and New Balance Korea)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.