Eland World’s fashion brand New Balance has officially apologized and halted both online and offline sales of a T-shirt that misrepresented the Taeguk pattern after facing backlash.
On July 24, New Balance issued a statement on its official website, saying, "We sincerely apologize for causing concern to many due to the Taeguk pattern design T-shirt we released. We immediately suspended all online and offline sales of the product upon recognizing the issue."
The controversial item is part of New Balance's 'NB Seoul Collection' and is called the 'UNI NB Geon-Gon-Gam-Ri Exclusive Short-Sleeve T-Shirt.' It was designed to promote the appeal of Korea and Seoul to both domestic and international customers, including foreign tourists.
New Balance emphasized, "There was no intention to convey any political or ideological message during the design and production process. We want to clarify that this product was not created to support or oppose any specific political stance or group."
However, the company acknowledged, "Regardless of intent, we did not handle the national symbol carefully, and we take the disappointment and concerns of many seriously. We accept responsibility for not adequately considering the meaning of the design and the various interpretations it could evoke among customers."
For consumers who have already purchased the product, the company announced it would provide full refunds regardless of the purchase method. Customers can contact their nearest New Balance store or the official website for prompt assistance.
New Balance also promised to implement stricter review and verification processes during the planning and production stages when utilizing national symbols and elements with historical and cultural significance. The company stated it would reassess its internal design review system to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.
Earlier, major online communities pointed out that the red and blue positions of the Taeguk pattern on the T-shirt appeared reversed compared to the standard Taeguk flag, and the Geon-Gon-Gam-Ri was depicted in a manner inconsistent with the official arrangement of the flag. Social media saw a surge of posts criticizing the product and calling for a boycott.
Seok Kyung-deok, a professor at Sungshin Women's University, noted on social media, "New Balance is embroiled in controversy for depicting an 'incorrect Taeguk flag' on its T-shirt. Based on reports from netizens, it has been confirmed that the Taeguk pattern on the New Balance T-shirt was designed in reverse compared to the actual flag."
He added, "During the North Central America World Cup, a Shake Shack in Abu Dhabi, UAE, faced backlash for providing World Cup merchandise featuring an incorrect Taeguk flag. It is unacceptable for a global company to continuously use a flawed Taeguk flag in its products."
He concluded, "A true global company should first possess the basic manners of understanding the fundamental information about the countries in which it operates."
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.