[Newsmaker] LG under fire for inappropriate video clip

LG Electronics’ Polish unit came under fire Sunday for running a video advertisement on social media that many claimed as inappropriate.

In one of the videos posted on LG Poland’s official TikTok account, an old man uses LG Electronics’ V60 ThinQ dual screen smartphone to take photos of a young woman in front without her consent. Noticing the shutter sound, the woman turns around and grabs the phone only to find the old man’s selfies.

She apologizes to the old man and return the device, but the old man swipes left to see several additional photos he took of the woman’s legs, which were intended as a humorous way to promote the phones camera function. A frame accessory allows a single-screen smartphone to have a connection for a second screen equipped with more cameras.

Before it was taken off the social media, more than 2 million people viewed the video promoting LG’s new smartphone launched in the US, Europe and Japan earlier this year.

“Society has undoubtedly advanced in recent decades and, although sexism and perversion are still very much a common occurrence in all parts of the world, the acts are deemed far from acceptable in most major countries,” US tech media outlet PhoneArena commented in its story Sunday, adding that the video was “unacceptable.”

“International companies now avoid anything that could be deemed remotely sexist or perverted, as they should, and that is exactly why the latest social media post by LG is especially surprising.”

South Koreans joined forces to criticize the clip in question, saying it potentially encouraged criminal activities.

LG Electronics could not be immediately reached for comment.

By Ko Jun-tae (ko.juntae@heraldcorp.com)