Seo Kyung-deok, a professor at Seongshin Women's University, officially protested against the famous Chinese shopping mall Taobao, which is selling products featuring the face of former President Chun Doo-hwan.
On the 20th, Professor Seo noted through social media that "various products featuring Chun Doo-hwan's face are being sold on Alibaba's main online shopping platform 'Taobao'," pointing out "numerous items, including short-sleeve T-shirts, long-sleeve hoodies, and bags."
He added, "Using a logo parodying an American outdoor brand, 'South Face,' while inserting Chun Doo-hwan's face, is unacceptable," and noted, "They are using an image from the time he was inaugurated as president after violently suppressing the May 18 Democratic Uprising."
In a protest email sent to Taobao, Professor Seo demanded, "Selling such products is an act that inflicts another great wound on the families of countless victims," and expressed, "I hope they at least know how to distinguish between items that should and should not be sold."
He emphasized, "It is unacceptable to trivialize the painful history of another country. Making such aspects part of their revenue structure is an even bigger problem," and added, "Chinese people should keep in mind that actions like this by some of their fellow citizens will lead to China becoming isolated in the world."
Earlier, in February, a Chinese TikToker sparked controversy by posting a video imitating Chun Doo-hwan while roaming around Gwangju. Additionally, some home fans of the Chinese professional soccer club Shandong Taishan unfolded a photo of Chun Doo-hwan during a match against Gwangju FC, bringing upon themselves criticism.