Netizens were upset when they learned of an advertisement that changed the image of a cow to a woman for dairy products. The corporate conglomerate finally apologized.
The ad has a 37-second narration and is an advert for Seoul Milk, one of the largest dairy giants in South Korea.
In the ad, a man can be seen carrying a large camera as he walks from the forest to the beautiful forest. Arriving at a certain forest area, he secretly filmed the women drinking the clear water from the river and lying in the fields.
The ad opens with the man narrating his way through the forest, saying: "We finally managed to catch them on camera in a pristine location where nature is preserved."
"They drink clean water from pure nature, consume environmentally friendly organic food, and live peacefully in a quiet environment. I will try to approach them with caution," the man continued.
The filmmaker then accidentally breaks a twig and shocks people who have gone from women to mooing cows.
The ad ends with the tagline 'Clean water, organic feed, 100% pure Seoul Milk. Organic milk from an organic ranch in the pleasant nature of Cheongjang'.
This video was first uploaded to the Seoul Milk Official YouTube Channel on November 29. This ad was later removed on December 8 in light of the harsh comments from netizens regarding the ad being deemed inappropriate and disrespectful to women.
"I will never drink Seoul Milk again," wrote one person as seen by The Korea Herald.
"Molka plus Misogyny. Amazing," one YouTube comment hit Seoul Milk.
Although the original video has been deleted, comments have been found on the re-upload of the ad, which has already been widely discussed.
"How did this disgusting commercial get approved? Was no thought put into its planning and production?" so one YouTube comment from user PenKeiYiKeu.
In response to the ongoing controversy, Seoul Milk finally uploaded a statement to its website on December 8.
"We sincerely apologize to everyone who was uncomfortable with the dairy advertisement," the company said in a statement.
"We accept this matter with a heavy heart and will carry out an internal review, and take care to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future. We bow our heads to apologize," he said. Thus launched Insider.
