"The current Han River water temperature is 11.9℃"
Mobile financial platform Toss recently added a feature displaying Han River water temperature in its app, but suspended it after public backlash. Critics accused the financial company of "trivializing death" by incorporating what has become a dark euphemism among investors for suicide after trading losses.
According to financial industry sources on the 19th, Toss introduced the "Han River Water" feature through a recent app update, showing real-time water temperatures measured at locations including Jungnangcheon. The feature refreshed the temperature readings at regular intervals.
The issue lies in the social context of "Han River water temperature" among stock investors. The phrase has been used as dark humor among traders who suffered steep losses, typically appearing in expressions such as "Is the Han River warm today?" or "I lost so much I'm going to check the Han River temperature."
Critics argue that a financial platform adopting such an expression as a service feature demonstrates insufficient consideration for user sentiment and social sensitivity.
Individual investors have expressed concern. An investor in his 30s identified as Mr. A said, "The market has been highly volatile recently with potential for massive losses, so seeing this feature was truly shocking. I question whether it's appropriate for a financial app to offer such a joke-like function."
The controversy has also resurfaced past marketing issues at Toss Securities. Late last year, the company faced criticism for promoting high-risk overseas stock options with provocative messaging such as "If Nvidia rises 5%, option prices will rise 214%," which critics said encouraged speculative trading fever. The related options simulation page and pre-registration event were subsequently suspended, and the service launch was delayed.
Industry observers note that platform companies are crossing lines in their attempts to appear friendly by adopting online memes. A financial industry official said, "Financial services are closely connected to users' lives, so trust and safety must take priority over entertainment. Features that overlook social sensitivity can actually poison a brand."
As the controversy spread, Toss suspended exposure of the feature. A Toss spokesperson said, "This service was provided through 'App in Toss,' which allows external developers to launch services within the Toss app. Since its purpose was to provide information useful for water leisure activities, we did not anticipate the currently raised concerns during the review process."
The spokesperson added, "Considering that the feature could be interpreted in a particular way, as some have raised concerns, we immediately suspended exposure of the mini-app. We plan to review related standards and operational procedures to prevent similar cases in the future."