A Subway advertisement with actors Byeon Woo Seok and Kim Hye Yoon has been suspended after receiving backlash from a handful of Korean citizens.
The ad, featuring their roles in the hit drama "Lovely Runner," was taken down after more than 40 complaints about why the two were shown together.
Giftree, which created the advertisement, added that, according to the internal policy of the transportation corporation, ads must be pulled down immediately after receiving even a single complaint.
Giftree said in a statement: "After the advertisement was posted, we received numerous complaints. According to the transportation corporation, if even one complaint is received, it must be suspended."
Seoul Metro added that it did not take part in the advertising decision. Giftree tried to get the ad back into the rotation, but the same complaints kept it from being run again.
The company even suggested changing the design to show Byeon Woo Seok and Kim Hye Yoon separately, but that was also refused because of ongoing protests from the public.
Due to the negative response, Giftree asked fans to stop submitting complaints now, adding: "If this continues, there may be no more advertising for these actors or subway advertisements in general. So we earnestly ask fans to be a little more generous and stop making complaints."
However, the complaints puzzled many netizens. Comments in the Korean online community forum Theqoo include:
"This complaint is so weird. I thought they came in first place by votes, right? and, "What's the deal with the folks complaining about this?"
Other users complained about the complaints, saying that it fuels more complaints. A user commented, "Knowing this, I think there will be more malicious complaints, if I file a complaint with this."
Some also noted discrepancies in the number of complaints cited. One commenter said: "Giftly said there were 40 complaints, other articles said only five regarding portrait rights." That has created even more debate within the community.
Others commented on the pedigree of fandoms — one wrote, "That's not something you see every day anymore. Fans of the actresses Byun Woo-seok is going to be linked to in the future are going to have a tough time, I reckon."
Here's what other K-Netz are saying:
