Netizens Debate Over Owner's Actions
Headquarters Issues Apology as Controversy Grows
The owner of a franchise chicken restaurant posted a sign saying "Thank you" in relation to the impeachment of former President Yoon Seok-yeol, but later apologized. On the 8th, posts titled "○○ Chicken Recent Situation" were uploaded on an online community. The photo in the post clearly shows an electronic display board with the phrase "Impeach the respondent Yoon Seok-yeol. Thank you, fellow citizens."
An owner of a franchise chicken store posted a sign saying "Thank you" in relation to the impeachment of former President Yoon Seok-yeol, but later apologized. On the 8th, posts titled "○○ Chicken Update" were uploaded on online communities. Online communities
Netizens opposing the impeachment of former President Yoon criticized the message displayed by the restaurant, launching protests such as so-called 'star rating terrorism.' On a map app where visitors can leave reviews, comments like "If a businessperson shows political colors, they must bear the consequences," and "If you want to show your political stance, hang it on your front door," were posted one after another. On the other hand, netizens supporting the impeachment of former President Yoon responded with comments such as "If the chicken is made by such a wonderful person, it must be delicious," and "I came to give stars to a reasonable democratic owner." Among them, one netizen shared the headquarters' stance on the controversy online.
The headquarters stated, "We apologize for the discomfort caused by the inappropriate political post of a specific store," and added, "We regard this incident as a serious matter, and a senior executive from headquarters visited the store and issued a strong warning." They continued, "The owner apologized for causing unnecessary confusion and conflict due to their inappropriate post, which harmed the headquarters, other franchise stores, and customers, and plans to post an apology letter at the store."
They further clarified, "The content of the problematic post is solely the personal opinion of the owner and is completely unrelated to the headquarters," and "If a similar incident occurs again, the headquarters will take the highest measures, including store closure," reiterating their apology. It was reported that the store later displayed a sign saying, "We sincerely apologize for the controversy caused by the inappropriate political post recently exposed outside the store." A franchise representative told Yonhap News TV on the 8th, "The owner's personal expression of opinion could harm other franchise stores, so we took action," and added, "The headquarters holds no political stance regarding the impeachment."
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