Yeongam-gun Recalls Character Design 'Controversy' Checklist Produced by Ministry of the Interior and Safety

National Safety Inspection Promotional Materials... Calls for Improvement to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and Jeollanam-do

Home Safety Checklist Posted on Internet Community ⓒ Asia Economy

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Seo Young-seo] Yeongam-gun, Jeollanam-do, has been conducting the 2021 National Safety Inspection for 28 days from the 4th to the 31st.

According to the county on the 27th, the National Safety Inspection is a nationwide inspection plan aimed at strengthening effectiveness and enabling future safety measures by jointly inspecting multi-use facilities targeted based on criteria selected by central government ministries or types of facilities where accidents have recently occurred in nearby local governments, together with private experts and the Korea Safety Corporation.

Moreover, the county produced and distributed a home safety checklist to encourage residents to check risk factors themselves, establish a safety culture, and participate in the National Safety Inspection.

However, recently, a controversy arose on an internet community claiming that the finger shape in the design of the "National Safety Inspection Home Safety Checklist" might have a meaning that disparages a specific gender, leading to numerous complaints to Yeongam-gun.

A Yeongam-gun official stated, "The design was created by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and distributed nationwide on the 9th of last month. Our county added the Yeongam-gun CI and started distributing it to the general public from the 13th. We did not anticipate that the character design made by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety would cause controversy."

He added, "We apologize to those who felt uncomfortable due to this matter and will be more meticulous in the future to prevent such incidents."

The controversial character design is used in the checklist to depict the scene of turning off a gas valve, and this image appears to have been used on the cover as well.

Yeongam-gun immediately began recalling the distributed checklists upon recognizing the controversy and informed the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and Jeollanam-do of the current situation to urge improvements.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety has also revised the design of the home safety checklist registered on its website.