[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] The National Police Agency has issued a clarification after claims spread on online communities that a hand gesture belittling men was included in promotional materials related to the revised Road Traffic Act.
On the 2nd, the police stated, "(The promotional material) was produced by a private advertising company," and added, "The hand gesture was inserted to emphasize parts such as turning pages in the card news, and it has no relation whatsoever to any specific group."
They continued, "Since there is a possibility of misunderstanding contrary to the intent, the content is being revised through the city and provincial police agencies," and said, "We will ensure that similar cases do not occur in the future through inspections by related functions such as the Gender Equality Committee."
Earlier, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency and other provincial police agencies distributed promotional materials for the revised Road Traffic Act, which will be fully enforced on the 13th, on the internet last month. However, claims arose that the hand gesture included in the posts resembled a drawing used by users of the online community 'Megalia' to imply that Korean men have small genitalia.
This controversy initially began with claims mainly from male users in some online communities that a problematic hand gesture drawing appeared on a convenience store GS25 event promotional poster. Subsequently, similar claims were made that the same drawing appeared in police promotional materials as well.
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