By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter

Regional council members' angered an international sports goods maker through making sexually explicit gestures during their visit to its headquarters abroad. The politicians quickly tried to explain themselves, claiming ``difference of culture'' as an excuse, but businessmen in the United States called for an apology and prohibited the council members from visiting them again.

According to the Chosun Ilbo, the incident began when seven members of Gyeonggi provincial council visited the headquarters of the world's largest sports utilities maker Nike in Portland, USA, early March as part of their efforts to forge ties between Korea and the US. While there, two council members reportedly touched the breasts and private parts of a female statue. Witnesses said they even tried to put their hands in the statue's crotch while giggling. This left many of the workers there feeling horrified.

Later on, the witnesses complained to the company that the politicians' behavior was terribly embarrassing. ``Half of them were behaving like immature teenagers'' one reportedly said.

The headquarters' spokesman told the council team that the company felt deeply uncomfortable after hearing about what happened and that they will ``not welcome any further visits from the council.''

The two shunned members sent an abrupt apology email to Nike saying if any inappropriate demeanor had taken place, it was never on purpose but due to a difference in cultures.

They later claimed that they may have ``leaned toward the statue'', but nothing like what was mentioned in Nike's complaints. ``We did take pictures but no such dramatic things happened. It was miscommunication stemming from a difference between cultures. We just made an apology because Nike seemed to want it, that's all,'' a council member said.

bjs@koreatimes.co.kr