Korean fashion platform seeks to show sustained remorse over 2019 ad
Founders meet democracy memorial group, pledge stronger historical awareness
South Korean fashion platform Musinsa made a renewed, in-person apology over a 2019 marketing campaign that invoked the memory of student activist Park Jong-cheol, whose death under torture became a symbol of the country’s pro-democracy struggle. The move shows the company’s regret is not a one-off gesture but part of a longer effort to address the incident.
Musinsa said that on May 22, a delegation of five executives, including founder Man-ho Cho and CEO Nam-sung Cho, visited the Park Jong-cheol Center in southern Seoul, operated by the Park Jong-cheol Memorial Foundation. They toured the center and formally apologized again for the social media ad posted seven years ago, which used wording widely criticized in Korea as trivializing Park’s torture and death.
This is not the first time Musinsa has addressed the issue. After the controversy surfaced in 2019, company representatives met with the foundation, apologized, removed the ad, and began internal training on modern Korean history for marketing and content staff. More recently, as public debate resurfaced, Musinsa published additional statements acknowledging the episode as a serious mistake and described it as a “painful lesson” for the company.
The latest visit was disclosed by Musinsa’s newsroom and the Park Jong-cheol Center’s official social media account, which shared images of the meeting. For international observers, the company’s choice to return to the memorial site rather than limit its response to online statements underscores its willingness to engage directly with those connected to the historical event.
In its message, Musinsa framed the issue as a matter of basic civic responsibility rather than brand-damage control, saying it wants to rebuild trust as a member of Korean society by maintaining historical awareness and tightening internal review procedures. The company said it will continue to strengthen training and content checks to prevent similar mistakes, positioning the 2019 incident as a turning point in how it handles sensitive social topics.
By Min Byung-kwun, KDFN
kdf＠kdfnews.com
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