Lotte Department Store apologized for the controversy over asking a customer wearing a union vest at the Jamsil branch on the 13th to remove the clothing.
Lotte Department Store said on its website that day, in a notice under the name of CEO Jeong Hyeon-seok, "We sincerely apologize for causing inconvenience by asking customers who were trying to enter the Jamsil branch for a meal on the evening of the 10th wearing a sash-like vest to remove it."
He added, "It was an inappropriate measure, and we are once again sorry to customers who must have felt uncomfortable," and "We will use this incident as an opportunity to reexamine all processes related to our customer service and do our best to prevent similar cases from recurring."
Earlier, members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) Metal Workers' Union and others were stopped by security guards around 7 p.m. on the 10th when they tried to enter the basement food court of the Jamsil branch wearing vests with phrases such as "Layoffs are murder." As video of the scene spread on social media (SNS), public criticism mounted over Lotte Department Store's response.