Controversy Over 'Incorrect Taegeukgi'... New Balance Says 'No Political Intent'

New Balance Vows "Stricter Review and Verification in Planning and Production Stages"

New Balance issued a public apology on its official website and halted sales after controversy arose over a T-shirt featuring an incorrectly depicted Taegeuk pattern.

Professor Seo Kyung-duk of Sungshin Women's University stated on his Facebook page on July 24, "New Balance is facing controversy for featuring an 'incorrect Taegeukgi' on its T-shirt," and added, "After checking based on reports from netizens, it was found that the Taegeuk symbol on the New Balance T-shirt was designed in reverse from the actual Taegeukgi and sold as such."

Photo of the problematic New Balance product. Professor Seokyungduk's Facebook

As the controversy intensified, New Balance announced on its official website, "We sincerely apologize for causing concern to many people due to the T-shirt with the Taegeuk pattern," pledging to suspend sales completely and offer refunds. The company further explained, "This product was planned as apparel to promote the appeal of Korea and Seoul not only to foreign tourists but also to domestic and international customers," and emphasized, "There was absolutely no intention to include any political or ideological message at any stage of the design or production process."

They also clarified, "We stress that this product was not created to support or oppose any specific political stance or organization." At the same time, New Balance admitted, "Regardless of our intent, we acknowledge that we did not handle a national symbol with sufficient care, which resulted in disappointment and concern for many people. We take this matter very seriously." The company added, "From now on, whenever we use national symbols or elements with historical or cultural significance in our designs, we will enforce stricter review and verification procedures during the planning and production stages. We will also thoroughly inspect our internal design approval process to ensure that such incidents do not occur again."

Regarding the incident, Professor Seo commented, "There was a similar controversy during the North and Central America World Cup when the Abu Dhabi branch of Shake Shack in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) distributed World Cup merchandise featuring an 'incorrect Taegeukgi' design." He criticized, "It is unacceptable for erroneous Taegeukgi designs to continue appearing on products made by global companies," and stressed, "A truly global company should at least possess the basic manners of acquiring essential information about the countries where it conducts business."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.