On the 20th, President Lee Jae Myung criticized a past advertisement by fashion company Musinsa, which has been caught up in controversy for making light of martyr Park Jong-chul, saying, “People say money is the devil, but how can someone do this wearing a human mask.” Following Starbucks Korea, which sparked controversy with a ‘Tank Day’ event on the 5·18 Democratization Movement anniversary, he has issued successive public rebukes of companies for inappropriate advertising and marketing.

That day, as he shared a sock ad card news by Musinsa, President Lee pointed out that it was “an advertisement that insults and mocks the torture-to-death case of martyr Park Jong-chul and the June Democracy Uprising that it sparked.” He said, “This was reported to me, so I need to verify whether it is real. Please also verify it together,” and added, “I hope it is not true, but if it is, it is a truly serious problem.”

The advertisement in question was a 2019 sock ad by Musinsa. Alongside photos of sock products, it carried the phrase “With quick-drying, I smacked the desk and it dried with a gasp.” Even at the time, critics said it evoked the authorities’ announcement during the 1987 torture-to-death case of martyr Park Jong-chul that ‘I smacked the desk and he died with a gasp.’ After Starbucks Korea held a Tank Day event on the 5·18 Democratization Movement anniversary on the 18th, stirring controversy, the past Musinsa ad has been resurfacing and spreading on social media.

At the time, Musinsa removed the ad and posted an official apology. Musinsa stated then, “We apologize for having used the phrase for promotional purposes despite its grave historical significance.”

An official from the Presidential Office explained that the background to President Lee writing the X post that day “reflects the usual philosophy and resolve of the president to eradicate ongoing insults, historical distortion, and mockery directed at the democratization movement and its victims.”

Earlier, in a post on X on the 18th targeting Starbucks Korea, President Lee stated, “I am outraged by such inhuman, low-grade huckster behavior that denies the values of the Republic of Korea community and basic human rights and democracy.”

Starbucks Korea, an affiliate of Shinsegae Group, ran a tumbler promotion event on the 18th, the anniversary of the 5·18 Democratization Movement, carrying phrases such as “Tank Day” and “Slam the desk!” This prompted criticism that it belittled the 5·18 Democratization Movement and the 1987 torture-to-death case of martyr Park Jong-chul. As the controversy grew, on the 18th Shinsegae Group Chairman Chung Yong-jin notified Starbucks Korea CEO Son Jeong-hyun of dismissal, and the day before issued a public apology.