"Sincere Apology"... Seoul Milk Bows Head Amid Controversy Over 'Woman → Cow' Advertisement

Posted an apology on the website on the afternoon of the 8th
'Misogyny' controversy arises over organic milk commercial video
Switched to private on YouTube channel amid growing criticism

An advertisement uploaded on the official Seoul Milk YouTube channel on the 29th of last month. As criticism from netizens grew, Seoul Milk has currently set this advertisement to private. / Photo by Internet homepage capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Seoul Milk Cooperative (Seoul Milk) apologized for the so-called 'misogynistic advertisement' controversy. The video promotes organic milk by showing a woman transforming into a dairy cow, which sparked criticism as an "inappropriate advertisement." In response, Seoul Milk bowed and said, "We apologize to all consumers who felt uncomfortable."

On the afternoon of the 8th, Seoul Milk posted an apology statement on its official website, saying, "We sincerely apologize to everyone who felt uncomfortable due to the milk advertisement video uploaded on the 29th of last month," and added, "We are taking this matter seriously internally and will exercise more careful review and caution to prevent similar issues from occurring in the future."

The problematic video is about 52 seconds long and is a documentary-style advertisement depicting a man exploring the Gangwon-do region while holding a camera.

The man secretly films women dressed in pure white clothes gathering by a stream to drink water, accompanied by narration stating, "They drink clean water from pristine nature, insist on an eco-friendly organic diet, and live peacefully in a comfortable environment."

Seoul Milk Cooperative apologized for the organic advertisement video that sparked controversy over misogyny. / Photo by Seoul Milk website capture

At this moment, as the man moves, he steps on a branch causing a sound, and when one woman turns her head, all the women nearby transform into dairy cows. The advertisement then concludes by showing a man smiling while drinking milk, with the phrase "100% pure Seoul Milk from an organic farm, organic milk."

The advertisement video was uploaded on the official Seoul Milk YouTube channel on the 29th of last month. At that time, Seoul Milk also held an event where viewers who left comments with their impressions of the video were entered into a draw to win prizes.

However, some netizens strongly opposed the advertisement content. The ad depicting women turning into dairy cows was criticized as highly sexist. Additionally, the way the man secretly approaches while holding a camera was pointed out as reminiscent of illegal filming crimes.

As criticism from netizens grew on online communities and social networking services (SNS) on the 8th, Seoul Milk changed the advertisement video to private around 3:37 p.m. that day.