A bag featuring the face of former President Chun Doo-hwan was being sold on an online shopping mall before sales were halted following protests from May 18 groups.
On the 12th, according to the May 18 Foundation, the foundation sent a formal request to AliExpress Korea (hereafter Ali) on the 9th, asking for a ban on the sale of products using Chun Doo-hwan's image.
Earlier, starting from the 8th, Ali had been selling a canvas bag printed with the face of the former president, along with the parody logo 'THE SOUTH FACE,' which mocks the American outdoor brand North Face. The price was about 15,300 won, and the seller was a company based in Singapore.
The seller described the bag as a 'creative canvas bag.' In fact, there appears to have been active transaction activity, as over 2,000 purchase reviews had been registered.
The May 18 Foundation criticized, saying, 'The bag using the image of Chun Doo-hwan is an act that distorts and undermines the history of democracy in South Korea, such as the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement.' It added, 'Just like the Japanese rising sun flag and the German Nazi symbol of the swastika, products using Chun Doo-hwan's image should not be circulated,' and demanded a ban on the sale of such products and a review of related regulations.
Currently, the product sales page has been deleted from Ali.