Kwak Yeon-soo is a digital editor at The Korea Times creating, editing and curating digital content for the newspaper’s website, mobile app and social media. She previously covered a diverse array of cultural, political and business topics.
Japan's DHC TV revives 'hate speech' controversy
Panelists appearing on DHC TV make “offensive” remarks about Koreans and the country's history, Aug. 11. / Captured from YouTube
By Kwak Yeon-soo
By Kwak Yeon-soo
DHC's beauty TV channel DHC TV has revived a controversy over comments panelists made earlier this week about Koreans and the country's history, worsening local consumers' anti-Japan animus.
The show has broadcast a series of “offensive” remarks on Korea since Aug. 10. Panelists appearing on the show predicted the Korea-Japan trade dispute will cool down soon because Koreans are forgetful by nature.
They also described Koreans' boycott of Japanese products as a “childish act.”
In addition, panelists made historically incorrect remarks about Korea, including claiming that Hangeul, the Korean writing system, was standardized by Japan, and denounced Korean artwork depicting a wartime sex slave.
On Tuesday, DHC Korea CEO Kim Moo-jeon apologized to local consumers over the remarks made on the show.
“We deeply apologize for creating a controversy in regards to DHC TV,” Kim said in an official statement.
“DHC Korea does not agree with the comments made by the panelists who appeared on the show. We will request they stop airing programs disrespectful toward Koreans.”
Kent Gilbert, a panelist who appeared on DHC TV on Wednesday, mocked DHC Korea's apology, saying “DHC Korea's CEO is in trouble. He made the apology without consulting with Tokyo-based headquarters.”
The TV channel of the Japanese cosmetics company issued an official statement on Wednesday, claiming the remarks about Koreans aired on the show were “based on facts” and “within the range of the freedom of the press.”
“The Korean media have criticized the contents of our show lately, but we believe they are based on facts and within the range of the freedom of the press,” the statement read.
“We hope the Korean media pinpoints which part of the show has provoked Koreans or distorted the country's history.”
In the wake of the controversy, major retailers including Olive Young, Lalavla and Boots have pulled DHC products from their online malls and moved the products to less visible locations inside their brick-and-mortar stores.
Actress Jung Yu-mi, who has been a model for DHC Korea since last year, terminated her modeling contract with the cosmetics brand.
Seo Kyoung-duk, professor of General Education at Sungshin Women's University, urged consumers to boycott DHC products to the level of expelling them from the Asian market.
“The remarks showed that panelists didn't get a proper history education,” Seo wrote in a Facebook post. “Consumers need to boycott DHC products and drive them out.”
DHC entered the Korean market in 2002, with its products such as cleansing oil gaining wide popularity here.