Whey out of line! Korean dairy company apologises after bizarre advert depicts women as dairy COWS
- Seoul Milk used a video of women performing Yoga to advertise its product
- The ad was shot in a style of a secretly video filmed by a man near the women
- When the man snaps a twig the women in the field suddenly turn into cows
A South Korean dairy firm has been forced to apologise after broadcasting an advertisement which appeared to compare women to cows.
The advert for Seoul Milk – the south east Asian country’s largest dairy brand – showed a man secretly filming a group of women in a field.
A voice-over in the style of wildlife documentary described the women’s diet and stress-free lifestyle as one is seen drinking water from a leaf and others perform yoga in a field.
As the man tries to get closer he steps on a twig which loudly snaps. The woman look up and are, bizarrely, transformed into black and white cows, which then moo loudly.
A South Korean dairy company has been criticised after it compared women to milk cows in its new online advertisement
The ad featured a man sneaking up on the group of women who were in a field
Some of the women were filmed performing yoga while others were drinking water
After the man steps on a twig the women suddenly turn into a field full of Friesian cows
The advert sparked a social media backlash after being uploaded to Seoul Milk’s official YouTube channel on November 29 and was removed on December 8, according to The Korea Herald.
Not only was it slammed as sexist, but comparisons were also drawn with ‘molka’ crimes – which involve men secretly filming women without their consent and are a major problem in South Korea, according to
In its apology Seoul Milk said: ‘We sincerely apologize to everyone who felt uncomfortable seeing our milk advertising video uploaded on Seoul Milk’s official YouTube channel, November 29.
‘We are taking the matter seriously and will take more careful measures to prevent similar problems from occurring in the future. We once again bow our heads and apologize to all consumers who felt uncomfortable with this advertisement.’
In the advert, which has continued to be shared on social media, the narrator says of the women: ‘We finally succeeded in capturing them on camera at a pristine place where nature is preserved in its pureness.
‘They drink clean water from pure nature, insist on an eco-friendly organic diet, and live peacefully in a pleasant environment. I will try to approach them cautiously…’
Eventually the advert praises the herds of cows from an organic ranch in Cheongiang.
While the original video has been taken down, it was shared on social media as people criticised it.
Readers of the Korean Times said: ‘The man is illegally taking photos of women, and the women turning into cows. This advertisement has too many problems. It’s disgusting.’
One of the woman is drinking water while others are performing yoga. When the man steps on a branch which breaks, the group looks up and suddenly turn into milk cows
Another wrote: ‘The person who created the advertisement and the person who gave permission to release it all lack gender sensitivity.’
Others complained direct to the company claiming: ‘I will never drink Seoul Milk again. Humans should never be described as cattle, and spy-camming can never be used as advertisement material.’
Another added: ‘Humans should never be described as cattle, and spy-camming can never be used as advertisement material.’
On YouTube, people were also outraged with one user claiming: ‘How did this disgusting advertisement even get approved? Was no thought put into its planning and production?’
Another said: ‘Molka plus Misogyny. Just amazing.’
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