Actress Hwang Bo-ra issued an apology after drawing controversy over a group-buy promotion video in which a traffic accident was staged.
On the 13th, Hwang Bo-ra bowed and wrote on her social media, "Hello. I am Hwang Bo-ra. I apologize for showing a lack of judgment regarding the transfer group-buy video that was posted earlier."
She went on, "I apologize to the many people who may have felt uncomfortable, and I will reflect and work to ensure this does not happen again. I am sorry once again," repeating her apology.
Earlier, Hwang Bo-ra posted a group-buy promotion video for macadamia nuts on her personal social media on the 11th. The problematic video began with a staged scene suggesting a sudden traffic accident during nighttime driving. Hwang Bo-ra screamed to convey the urgent situation, but soon smiled and shifted the tone, saying, "Do you want to eat macadamia?" as she promoted the product.
The video description emphasized discounts with the manufacturer's headquarters and fast delivery and added phrases such as "a premium snack that goes well with beer" and "perfect as a late-night diet snack." However, netizens criticized the use of a life-threatening traffic accident scenario as a promotional device. Critics said the choice of subject was recklessly inappropriate to be presented merely as a way to promote a product.
The controversy grew especially because Hwang Bo-ra previously had her license revoked for drunk driving. In December 2007 she was caught driving in the Gangnam district of Seoul with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.135% and had her license revoked for violating the Road Traffic Act. At the time, Hwang Bo-ra retreated from public life, but she returned relatively quickly ahead of the release of the film Radio Days, which had already finished filming.
That past record was reexamined, and responses saying the staged traffic accident promotion was even more inappropriate continued. Ultimately, as the controversy spread, Hwang Bo-ra acknowledged her wrongdoing in an apology and promised to prevent recurrence. With regret over the careless marketing method, greater caution is required in her future actions.
[Photo] OSEN DB, video capture
[OSEN]