Japanese Flag on Geobukseon? SR to Recall and Discard All Products Amid Controversy

Supply Immediately Halted After Professor Seo's Criticism
SR: "We Deeply Apologize... Fare Discount Vouchers Provided to First Class Passengers"

SR, the operator of the SRT high-speed rail, has issued an official apology and announced that it will discard all snack boxes provided in first class that featured an image resembling a "Geobukseon Japanese flag."

On July 9, SR released an official statement saying, "We have confirmed that an inappropriate image was included in the design of the SRT first class items, and regardless of the circumstances, we deeply apologize to our customers and the public." The company stated that it immediately halted the supply of the item as soon as the issue was reported and will recall and discard all of the affected products.

SR also added, "We will review every step of the delivery, supply, and inspection process for first class items and establish measures to prevent recurrence. During the suspension of first class item supply, we will provide fare discount vouchers to affected first class passengers."

This controversy arose after Seo Kyungduk, a professor at Sungshin Women's University, pointed out on his social media earlier that day, "A Japanese flag appears on the snack box in SRT first class departing from Suseo, sparking controversy." Professor Seo shared a photo of the snack box, based on a tip from a netizen.

The photo showed the phrase "Romantic Trip to Yeosu by SRT" along with illustrations of Yeosu tourist attractions such as the marine cable car and Dolsan Park. The issue was that among these, the stern flagpole of the Geobukseon illustration featured a pattern resembling the Japanese flag.

Professor Seo strongly criticized, "It is an unacceptable and grave mistake to put the Japanese flag on Admiral Yi Sun-sin's Geobukseon," and added, "SR should not blame the supplier but take responsibility for design management and reflect on this incident." He urged, "All of the faulty snack boxes should be discarded, and extra care must be taken to ensure this never happens again."

SR stated, "We deeply apologize for causing concern to the public," and pledged to do its utmost to prevent recurrence while also improving the quality of its rail services.