Jung Yong-jin, Vice Chairman of Shinsegae Group, is sitting in the stands to watch the professional baseball game between Incheon SSG Landers and Busan Lotte Giants held at Incheon SSG Landers Field on April 4. [Photo by Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] Chung Yong-jin, Vice Chairman of Shinsegae Group, who was embroiled in controversy over allegations of mocking Sewol ferry memorial phrases, has now posted a message titled "Goodbye Dageumbari." After the controversy, Vice Chairman Chung posted a message expressing his intention to refrain from actions that could cause misunderstandings, but criticism from some netizens continues unabated.
On the 9th, Vice Chairman Chung posted a photo of a fish on his social media service (SNS) with the caption "Goodbye Dageumbari (Dageumbari)." He has since deleted the post and uploaded a screenshot of related news articles.
Previously, Vice Chairman Chung had continuously posted photos of cooking ingredients such as fish and meat on SNS along with phrases like "Goodbye Lobster, sorry and thank you," and "Goodbye Rockfish. You truly upheld the pride of rockfish. Sorry and thank you."
This led netizens to suggest that he was mocking President Moon Jae-in’s message written in the guestbook when he visited Jindo Paengmok Port in March 2017, which read, "Kids, you were the starlight of the candlelight square. Your souls became 10 million candles. Sorry and thank you."
On the 8th, Vice Chairman Chung further fueled controversy by including the phrase "My Silbi, you brought a lot of love to our home. Silbi, really sorry and thank you" in a post announcing the death of his pet dog.
As the controversy grew, Vice Chairman Chung expressed his intention to refrain from words or actions that could cause misunderstandings in the future. On the afternoon of the 8th, he wrote on SNS, "I usually push up my glasses with my middle finger," adding, "But since the PR director told me not to do things that could be misunderstood, I have to correct a habit I've had for over 50 years. From now on, I will push up my glasses with the shortest finger."
A post uploaded by Vice Chairman Jung on his SNS on the 9th. Photo by Vice Chairman Jung's SNS capture.
The controversy has divided public opinion about Vice Chairman Chung. His SNS contains positive comments such as "You have become a trendsetter," "You're hot these days," and "Don't worry about the controversy," while negative reactions like "Are you Ilbe (Ilgan Best)?" and "I will boycott Shinsegae" have also appeared.
In particular, some netizens have criticized Vice Chairman Chung by mentioning boycott movements against Shinsegae Group and its affiliates. Broadcaster Kim Eo-jun also criticized on his TBS radio show "Kim Eo-jun's News Factory" on the 9th, saying, "Vice Chairman Chung is using the phrase 'sorry and thank you' on food to mock the Sewol ferry incident," and added, "He lacks empathy and has an Ilbe-like mindset. If he were not a chaebol owner, he would be subject to dismissal."
Meanwhile, regarding the controversy over mocking the Sewol ferry memorial, Shinsegae Group explained, "Vice Chairman Chung was merely referring to cooking ingredients and had no other intention."
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