Lee Jae-myung, Who Received an Apology from 'Baedal Minjok' After 6 Days, Questions Its Sincerity

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, received an apology from Baedal Minjok after six days. However, Lee expressed doubts about the sincerity of the apology and stated that only a restoration to the original pricing system is the correct answer.

On the 6th, Lee posted on Facebook an article titled "Doubts about Baemin (Baedal Minjok) Apology Sincerity, Restoration to Original System is the Answer," saying, "It is a relief that the CEO of Baedal Minjok, who abruptly raised the commission fees by abusing their monopoly position, apologized and promised to devise corrective measures," expressing his welcome.

He added, "According to the statement, the CEO said the measure was a well-intentioned action to reduce disadvantages and burdens on users caused by the side effects of excessive 'flag planting' by certain businesses, and that they reflect on and apologize for the resulting side effects," emphasizing, "If so, the corrective measures following the reflection and apology should be the restoration of the original commission fee system and restrictions on flag planting."

However, Lee said, "The statement makes no mention whatsoever of restoration to the original system and instead proposes another commission fee system reform, which means they do not intend to give up the increased profits (and increased burden on users) from the system reform, making it difficult to recognize the sincerity of the apology," adding, "It cannot be dismissed as a temporary measure to avoid backlash."

He also stated, "Modern companies are required to have high ethical management and social contributions commensurate with their profit-generating capabilities," and warned, "Please do not forget that the people of the Republic of Korea possess a high level of civic awareness and practical ability, enough to change national power with a single candle."

Earlier, Kim Beom-jun, CEO of Woowa Brothers, said in a statement that day, "We humbly accept the criticism that we failed to consider the difficulties faced by restaurant owners due to COVID-19 and sincerely apologize."

He also apologized, saying, "We introduced the new fee system to reduce the harm of 'flag planting,' where some businesses monopolize advertising exposure, but we failed to fully consider the changing circumstances of self-employed people facing hardships," and "We focused only on the reform effect that reduces costs for small businesses and new entrepreneurs, so we could not carefully consider the position of those whose costs suddenly increased."

Woowa Brothers is the corporation operating Baedal Minjok, and this apology from CEO Kim comes just six days after announcing the fee system reform.