"Annoying Gorilla, Doesn't Look Like Me"... Yongjin Hyung's SNS Worked Hard Even on Children's Day

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Seoyoung] On Children’s Day, the 5th, Jung Yong-jin, Vice Chairman of Shinsegae Group, caught the attention of netizens with a post he uploaded on social media (SNS).

On that day, Jung Yong-jin posted a picture on his SNS showing Shinsegae Food’s character 'J-Lila' playing with a baby gorilla. However, beneath the seemingly heartwarming photo, Jung added some harsh comments. He said, "This kid not only disses me but is turning children into gorillas," and "It doesn’t look like me at all, and J is not even my initial."

In response, netizens interpreted Jung’s strong expressions as a sophisticated strategy to promote J-Lila. Since the character was trademarked by Emart last September, there has been ongoing speculation that J-Lila was modeled after Jung Yong-jin. However, Jung has repeatedly denied any connection between himself and J-Lila through his SNS.

Photo by Jeong Yong-jin, Vice Chairman of Shinsegae Group, Social Networking Service (SNS)

Additionally, Jung posted a photo of J-Lila wearing an SSG Landers jumper with comments like, "It doesn’t look like me at all. I just dislike this kid," and also revealed a cake featuring J-Lila’s face, saying, "This is a cake sent by the gorilla I dislike, in celebration of Children’s Day." As an entrepreneur, he is unusually using his personal SNS account to build a friendly image while effectively boosting the character’s promotional impact.

Netizens have responded positively to Jung’s unique promotional style. They noted that not only the witty content of his posts but also the interest and affection toward the J-Lila character have increased. Many cheerful comments appeared on Jung’s posts, such as "At this rate, isn’t this your favorite?", "Strong denial is strong affirmation," "If you market this well, what does the marketing team have to do?" and "Is this a story where pushing away leads to falling in love?"

Meanwhile, Shinsegae Food, which holds the trademark rights for J-Lila, actively responded to Jung’s reactions by opening a concept account operated directly by J-Lila.