Promoted Korea's Charm, Ended in Apology... Full Refunds Issued

First, following a recent controversy over a foreign hamburger brand's botched Taegeukgi (South Korean flag) merchandise, a similar incident has occurred with a sports brand.

The product in question was a T-shirt designed by New Balance as part of a project to promote the charm of Korea and Seoul.

However, controversy arose as the Taegeuk pattern printed on the T-shirt appeared to be upside down, and the positions of the four trigrams (geon, gon, gam, ri) differed from those of the standard South Korean flag.

Given the situation, some consumers even raised suspicions that there might have been a political intention behind it.

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

As the controversy grew, New Balance Korea announced that it would immediately suspend both online and offline sales and issue full refunds regardless of where the product was purchased.

Meanwhile, the company responsible for the design explained that a design originally produced for dark-colored apparel was applied to a white T-shirt, causing the shading to be rendered in red and creating a visual misunderstanding, while emphasizing that there was no political intention.

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