Chinese shopping platform sparks outrage by selling items featuring Korean dictator's face
A Chinese online shopping platform has sparked controversy in South Korea for selling merchandise featuring a portrait of former military dictator Chun Doo-hwan, prompting backlash from activists.
South Korean civic activist Seo Kyoung-duk on Tuesday demanded that Taobao, a major e-commerce platform operated by China's Alibaba Group, suspend the vendor from selling the items.
'Taobao is selling a wide range of products featuring Chun Doo-hwan's face, from short-sleeved T-shirts and hoodies to bags,' Seo, who is also a professor at Sungshin Women's University, wrote on Facebook. 'The image used is from his inauguration, following the bloody crackdown on the May 18 pro-democracy movement.'
Seo also criticized the design of the products, which include the words 'The South Face," a play on the brand The North Face, implying Chun represents the face of the country.
In an email sent to Taobao, Seo urged the company to stop selling the items, saying, 'Selling such products deeply hurts the families of the victims. At the very least, you should know what is appropriate to sell and what is not.'
'It is unacceptable to mock the painful history of another country, especially for profit,' he added. 'The Chinese must realize that actions like this will only lead to global isolation.'
This is not the first time that Chinese nationals' use of Chun's image has stirred controversy. In February, Chinese fans displayed photos of Chun during an AFC Champions League Elite match between Gwangju FC and Shandong Taishan. That same month, a Chinese TikToker posted a video in which they roamed the streets of Gwangju while impersonating the former dictator.
Gwangju has become a symbol of the Korean democratic movement, due to the many deaths and injuries that occurred under Chun's bloody crackdown on the Gwangju Democratic Uprising.
Chun led a military coup in 1979 and ordered a brutal crackdown on the protests in Gwangju in May 1980. According to government records, 162 civilians were killed and 941 injured. Around 1,400 people, including high school and college students, were later arrested, many of whom were tortured or imprisoned.
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