An Army officer candidate recruitment poster was ultimately taken down after drawing strong criticism over a rank notation error.
On the 23rd, photos of a "Republic of Korea Army officer candidate recruitment" poster were uploaded to several online communities with the title "A woman who is both a captain and a sergeant first class." In the poster, the female model wore a beret with an officer's rank insignia for "captain," but her combat uniform bore a noncommissioned officer's rank insignia for "sergeant first class," prompting controversy that it did not align with the military system.
According to the JoongAng Ilbo, the poster was produced by an external marketing agency commissioned by the Army Personnel Command ahead of this year's first-half officer candidate recruitment schedule. After production was completed, the Army approved distribution at the final review stage without catching this basic error.
Beyond the rank insignia issue, the shape of the female model's hand also fueled controversy. Some claimed that her right hand under her chin formed a "tweezer hand," with the thumb and index finger held narrowly together. The tweezer hand has been interpreted online as demeaning or mocking the male body, and there have been past cases where it escalated into gender conflict.
The Army put up the posters at major hubs, including Yongsan Station in Seoul, on the 18th. After negative public sentiment spread, emergency removal began on the 21st.