Report Claims 'Pre-martial Law Conspiracy' at One Branch
Various Memes Spread as Netizens Pay Attention
On the 3rd, just before the declaration of martial law, claims emerged that former and current commanders of the Defense Intelligence Command held a preliminary meeting at the fast-food chain 'Lotteria,' causing Lotteria to become a hot topic online. As internet memes linking the martial law incident and Lotteria gained popularity, Lotteria expressed that they were "embarrassed."
On the 18th, over 100 reviews related to the martial law incident were posted on Kakao Map reviews for various Lotteria branches nationwide. Netizens left comments such as "martial law hotspot" and "headquarters of rebellion," and some even requested the release of a "martial law conspiracy set." There were also instances of 'rating terrorism,' where users deliberately gave the lowest rating of 1 star.
An image of the so-called 'Neran Burger' generated by artificial intelligence (AI). Screenshot from an online community
Earlier, the Hankyoreh reported that three officers from the Defense Intelligence Command, including former commander Noh Sang-won, were spotted meeting at a Lotteria branch in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, to discuss martial law in advance. The media also reported that former commander Noh made remarks about checking the National Election Commission's computer servers and securing additional evidence of "election fraud" during the meeting.
The National Police Agency's Special Investigation Unit recently obtained CCTV footage from the Lotteria branch where former commander Noh and others gathered, and the day before, they applied for an arrest warrant against former commander Noh on charges including rebellion.
Netizens focused on the fact that former commander Noh discussed matters with officers at 'Lotteria,' creating various trending phrases and memes linking Lotteria and the martial law incident. On social media platforms, jokes such as "The taste was so good it was worth selling out the country," and "To succeed in martial law, they should have gone to Burger King next door, not Lotteria," were circulating.
An incident also occurred where an AI-generated image called the 'Neran Burger' was shared. It is a hamburger with four eggs included, created based on the similarity in pronunciation between 'Neran' (meaning four eggs) and 'Naeran' (meaning rebellion).
Lotteria, suddenly receiving attention from netizens regarding the martial law incident, expressed embarrassment. A Lotteria representative emphasized through various media outlets, "We are very embarrassed to be involved in a political issue," and added, "The branch where former commander Noh and others gathered was just one of our sales outlets. There are, of course, no plans to release related products."
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