Controversy has arisen after it was revealed that Chinese household goods distributor ‘MUMUSO’, which has been pretending to be a Korean company, is also using ‘KR’ in major cities in the Middle East.
On the 6th, Seo Gyeong-deok, a professor at Sungshin Women’s University, released a photo on social media, saying, “As a result of recent reports from Koreans residing in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Mumuso stores are proudly using ‘KR’, an abbreviation for KOREA, on their store signs.”
Professor Seo pointed out, “”As the value of the Korean brand increases globally, even the phrase KOREA is written explicitly around the signs,” and “As Korean-related content such as ‘K-Pop Demon Hunters’ (Kedheon) and Blackpink Rosé’s ‘Apartment’ have recently become popular around the world, it appears that they are exploiting this to promote ‘KR’ again.”
Mumuso has been controversial in the past for marketing that misled people into thinking it was a Korean company. In 2019, it appeared that the ‘KR’ notation would be removed for a while after receiving strong criticism at home and abroad, but it appears that its use has recently resumed.
Accordingly, concerns are raised that if foreigners who are unaware of this fact visit a Mumuso store in Dubai, a world-class tourist city, there is a high possibility that they will mistake the company for a Korean company.
Professor Seo emphasized, “”It is impossible for a Chinese company to use Korea’s positive image to conduct business as if it were a Korean company,” and added, “Our government departments must closely monitor this issue and take appropriate measures against cases of abusing the Korean Wave.”