Jodusun Padding and Jojubin Sweatshirt... Clothing Brand 'Erasing Criminals' Faces' in Trouble

Jodusun Wears Long Padding with 'Aider' Logo During Release on 12th
Brand Expresses "Deep Regret"

Child sex offender Jo Doo-soon, who was released after serving his sentence, stood with his hands clasped behind his back in front of the press after leaving the Ansan Probation Office on the morning of the 12th. Photo by Jo Seong-pil gatozz@

[Asia Economy Reporter Cha Min-young] It has been revealed that the khaki-colored padded jacket worn by child sex offender Jo Doo-soon (68) during his release on the 12th is from the brand 'Eider,' prompting the brand to express deep regret. Concerned about being associated with an unfavorable image, the brand took preemptive steps to distance itself.

An Eider representative stated, "This morning, Jo Doo-soon, who caused public outrage due to his horrific child sex crime, was released wearing an Eider padded jacket. We at Eider, who communicate closely with the public, cannot help but feel deep regret and embarrassment over this incident."

Jo Doo-soon was released from Seoul Nambu Prison around 6:46 a.m. wearing a khaki-colored Eider long padded jacket. Even when he stood in front of the photo line where reporters had gathered after completing administrative procedures at the Ansan probation office in his residential jurisdiction, the brand logo embroidered on the front of the jacket was fully exposed to the media.

In the past, there was a time when the so-called 'blame look'?the fashion of criminals?was met with public fascination. Especially, products worn by high-spending celebrities sparked curiosity and became hot topics. Representative examples include counterfeit clothing of the Italian brand 'Missoni' worn by escapee Shin Chang-won in 1999, luxury 'Escada' sunglasses worn by arms lobbyist Linda Kim in 2000, 'Prada' shoes worn by Choi Soon-sil during the 2016 political scandal, and the 'Tommy Jeans' sweatshirt worn by sex offender Jung Joon-young upon airport arrival in 2019.

However, recently, as the public's consumption level has risen and consumers emphasizing conscious consumption have increased, brands have begun to take proactive measures. They have actively engaged in 'erasing criminals' from their image. Regarding the 'Fila' T-shirt worn by Jo Joo-bin, the operator of the Telegram 'Doctor's Room' distributing sexual exploitation material this year, the brand promptly expressed regret over the logo exposure. This swift response is understood to be because the target demographic is the young generation in their teens and twenties, who value immediate communication.

In fact, various opinions about the impact of this incident on the company are already pouring out on online communities. This shows the significant public interest. Netizens expressed negative views such as "Eider probably won't do business for a while," and "I had Eider pants, but I will throw them away."