The Yeoju Sejong Cultural Foundation and its marketing agency have officially apologized after low-priced Chinese-made ceramics were given as event prizes at the Yeoju Ceramics Festival, sparking controversy.
Lee Soon-yeol, chairman of the Yeoju Sejong Cultural Foundation, issued a statement on the 28th, saying, "We deeply apologize to citizens for causing concern regarding the prizes for the 'Yeoju Ceramics Festival SNS Verification Photo Event.'"
The controversy erupted after it was revealed online that mini moon jars sent to winners of the SNS verification photo event at the 38th Yeoju Ceramics Festival had "Made in China" labels affixed to the inside.
The organizers had initially announced that 20 visitors would be selected by lottery from those who posted photos of their visit on social media to receive mini moon jars. However, one online user who received the prize complained, "This is an event held under the name of the Yeoju Ceramics Festival, but I received a product with a 'Made in China' sticker on it."
According to the foundation, the event was planned and run by The Breeze, a marketing operations agency, which handled overall tasks including promotion, prize preparation, and winner notifications. During this process, the agency purchased Chinese-made ceramic products worth 6,500 won each through an online retailer and shipped them to winners without adequate prior inspection procedures. The foundation reportedly confirmed the matter only after the prizes had been sent out.
Chairman Lee said, "It was highly inappropriate for low-priced Chinese products to be given as prizes at the event." He added, "As the chairman leading the institution that manages and supervises the overall operation of the festival, I once again bow my head and deeply apologize to the citizens and visitors, and I will do my utmost to ensure that such an incident does not recur by managing things more thoroughly."
The Breeze also issued a separate apology, stating, "We take it seriously that we have shown operations that fell short of expectations to the visitors and citizens who cherished the meaning of the Yeoju Ceramics Festival and participated in it."
The agency explained, "In the process of preparing prize items in line with the event schedule, some products were procured through external suppliers, and during this process, we failed to verify the country of origin and product inspection procedures. As a result, imported products that did not match the character and expectations of the festival were provided as some of the prizes."
The Breeze said, "Through this incident, we are deeply reflecting not on a simple operational mistake but on our lack of understanding and sense of responsibility regarding the festival's symbolism and local culture." The agency also pledged to immediately implement improvement measures to prevent recurrence, including: strengthening the system for pre-inspection of the origin and quality of event prizes and goods; reorganizing the selection of partner companies and delivery verification procedures; mandating final inspection processes before events; and enhancing training for handling on-site and online complaints.
