Binggrae Faces 'Namhyum' Controversy Over YouTube Videos Last Year
Recently Issues Also at Renault Korea and Volvo Group Korea
Renault Korea, which unveiled a new car in the domestic market for the first time in four years, has become embroiled in a 'misandry' controversy over the 'pinching hand' gesture appearing in its promotional video, while food company Binggrae has attracted attention by introducing a character with no fingers at all.
On the 6th, an online community post titled "Binggrae that completely blocked those fingers" was uploaded. The author of the post captured and shared images posted on Binggrae's social media (SNS), noting that the "(brand character's) hands are round." In the images, the character appears with round hands without fingers, holding and drinking Binggrae's representative product, 'Banana Flavored Milk,' with both hands, wearing a crown shaped like Banana Flavored Milk on its head, and holding a piece of paper with round hands.
The 'pinching hand' controversy has occasionally arisen since 2021, mainly around advertisements. The problematic hand gesture involves bringing the thumb and index finger close together without fully touching. Male community users claim that this gesture, which was also used as the logo of the extremist feminist community 'Megalia' that was shut down in 2017, carries a misandric meaning mocking the size of a specific male body part.
Binggrae has also been involved in the 'pinching hand' controversy in the past. Last year, Binggrae faced issues over advertisements and photos featuring the 'pinching hand.' A character in the animation video "For Binggrae Makers," released on Binggrae's official YouTube channel, was found making the 'pinching hand' gesture, leading Binggrae to make all such videos private. Additionally, a female character performing yoga in the 'Yoplait Light' product advertisement was also shown making the 'pinching hand' with her right hand, which caused further problems.
After facing public backlash twice, Binggrae appears to have taken a strong measure to prevent any potential controversy by completely removing fingers from the characters in its recently created posts. Netizens who encountered the 'round hand' character mostly responded positively, saying things like "Binggrae's marketing is well done," "Binggrae is round," and "No fingers. It's actually better this way."
Meanwhile, Renault Korea deleted the problematic promotional video and apologized, but the anger of enraged netizens has not subsided. In the video, Renault Korea employee A (female), who made the specific hand gesture, said, "I sincerely apologize once again to everyone who felt uncomfortable due to our recent internal promotional content." She added, "I was aware that the specific hand shape was associated with hateful behavior, but I did not realize that the hand gesture I expressed in the video I produced could be interpreted in that way. I will be more careful in the future." The company also posted a separate apology statement saying, "We feel deep concern and responsibility regarding the controversy related to the recent internal promotional content."
Despite these apologies, a boycott movement against Renault Korea is emerging online, mainly among men. To make matters worse, an insider revealed that a similar incident occurred at Volvo Group Korea, a global construction machinery equipment company.
On the 1st, an anonymous post by B, an employee at Volvo Group Korea, was uploaded to the workplace anonymous community 'Blind.' B said, "The poster posted last month coincidentally features a blatantly misandric (male-hating) finger gesture," and shared a photo of an internal promotional poster. Volvo Group Korea is a different affiliate from Volvo Cars, which sells passenger cars, and mainly manufactures construction machinery equipment such as excavators and dump trucks.
In the photo shared by B, three illustrated people are drawn against a blue background. Among them, the person reading a book is holding the book with one hand and making the 'pinching hand' pose, known as the 'misandry finger,' with the other hand. This 'pinching hand' gesture was found in three out of four posters. B said, "Following last year's Nexon misandry controversy, a misandry controversy has also arisen in our company. It is unclear whether the illustrator is an internal employee or an external contractor. It is very humiliating and regrettable that such an incident occurred in our company."
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