Samlip's 'Boreumi' Plagiarism Controversy... "Already Reviewed" Explanation

Customer Claims "90% Identical to My Idea"
Saplip Responds "Confirmed 3 Months Ago... Sorry for Any Misunderstanding"

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seung-woo] SPC Samlip's Full Moon Bread recently became embroiled in a controversy over alleged plagiarism of a customer’s idea regarding the newly introduced character 'Boreumi' and the 'Boreumi' peel-and-stick seals included with the Full Moon Bread. In response, Samlip clarified, “These products were commercialized based on ideas that had already been under review.”

According to Yonhap News on the 18th, a 27-year-old university student, Mr. A, came up with an idea while eating Full Moon Bread in April last year.

On April 29 of the same year, Mr. A proposed his idea as a product suggestion through Samlip’s official Instagram account. The detailed proposal included expanding the rabbit illustration on the bread packaging into various forms to create SPC Samlip’s own character named ‘Boreumi,’ producing about 30 types of stickers, and including peel-and-stick seals inside the full moon design on the bread packaging.

SPC Samlip responded, “If a product similar to the suggested idea is released in the future, we will promptly inform you via Instagram,” and forwarded the suggestion to the brand communication team.

Subsequently, on February 2, ahead of the first full moon of the lunar new year, SPC Samlip announced the launch of the Full Moon Bread character ‘Boreumi’ to celebrate the Year of the Rabbit. They also stated that 35 types of glow-in-the-dark peel-and-stick seals would be included one each in the Full Moon Bread sold.

The renewed Full Moon Bread featuring the new character recorded cumulative sales of 2 million units within two weeks, doubling the usual sales volume.

Then, on the 14th, Mr. A contacted SPC Samlip’s customer center to inquire, “Did you use my idea for ‘Boreumi’ and the peel-and-stick seals?” The next day, SPC Samlip replied, “The idea provided by Mr. A was already under internal review, so the customer’s idea was not utilized.”

Boreumi bread renewed with the 'Boreumi' character drawn in and a sticker included.
[Image source= SPC Samlip Instagram]

In response, Mr. A said, “I did not seek compensation; I just wanted to hear a word of thanks,” adding, “But seeing a product about 90% identical to my idea released while they deny it shows the level of large corporations in our country. It feels like I have directly experienced the unethical behavior I only saw in the news.”

SPC Samlip apologized, saying, “We caused misunderstanding by not sufficiently explaining to the customer,” but maintained that the customer’s idea was not plagiarized. They explained that since they receive 50 to 60 customer suggestions monthly, they can only provide general responses and cannot individually address each one afterward, which led to the misunderstanding.

According to internal documents disclosed by SPC Samlip, the new product strategy meeting for Full Moon Bread began in October 2021, and character names such as ‘Boreumi,’ ‘Bormi,’ and ‘Boreum Rabbit’ first appeared in December of the same year. The name ‘Boreumi’ was finalized in January 2022, three months before Mr. A’s proposal, and detailed marketing strategies were established. SPC Samlip also added that the peel-and-stick seals have been included as limited editions in Full Moon Bread since 2017, and that various other breads also include peel-and-stick seals, making it a common marketing method.

SPC Samlip stated, “We are very grateful for customers’ interest and opinions. Since internal information cannot be disclosed externally before product launch, we understand that customers who were unaware of the exact process could easily misunderstand. We apologize for not communicating sufficiently with customers and will provide detailed explanations to resolve any misunderstandings.”