Today, Nintendo’s South Korean branch is finding itself embroiled in controversy after a highly unprofessional comment, allegedly made via Twitter. As mentioned on Korean news site Naver, someone using Nintendo of Korea’s Twitter account commented on a photo of celebrity Eun Ji Park (above). Once a weather caster, Park is now a TV personality in South Korea.
The tweet apparently read: “She should have just stayed as a TV Meteorologist. Getting all the work done on her face like that. How come a brainless bitch like you gets the entire spotlight? Who is your sponsor? TV…sigh…”
“Sponsor” is an English loan word in Korean that is similar in meaning to “sugar daddy”. It carries the nuance of exchanging sexual favours for a celeb lifestyle — hence, “sponsor”.
The Nintendo of Korea’s Twitter account was apparently used to make a comment on this article about Eun Ji Park and her boy band friend. The tweet has since been deleted; however, the news is all over Korean sites like Daum and Naver.
Online in Korea, some commenters are speculating that the person who handles the Nintendo of Korea Twitter account accidentally mixed up his (or her) personal Twitter account.
However, Nintendo of Korea is saying that the controversial tweet did not come from an employee. “We’ve determined no employee has posted such comment on our Twitter account,” Nintendo of Korea told Naver. “We’d like to know how this ended up on our Twitter. This matter is frustrating.”
Embarrassing and rude too.
Update: Nintendo of Korea told Hankooki it reported this to the country’s cyber crime division, asking for a further investigation. Meanwhile, Eun Ji Park’s management company told Star News: “Our legal team is assessing the situation and exploring legal options.”
한국닌텐도 트위터에 “박은지, 스폰이 누구길래…” 막말 파문 [Naver — Thanks Sang!]
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