The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family has come under fire for recognizing the domestic operator of Japanese clothing retailer Uniqlo as a family-friendly company despite controversies over the brand, including its ad accused of mocking victims of wartime sexual slavery.
FRL Korea, the operator of Uniqlo here, was included in the list of “Family-friendly firms in 2020” which the ministry disclosed Saturday.
Since 2008, the government has been issuing certifications every year to companies taking a lead in supporting employees' work-family balance by creating flexible working environments. A total of 4,340 firms were selected this year.
The certification not only enhances the corporate image, but the selected firms can also receive 220 types of benefits and incentives such as extra support through government programs and preferential treatment in immigration procedures.
However, the gender ministry's decision to include the Japanese brand in the list was considered “highly inappropriate” among many internet users as the firm has been at the center of the “Boycott Japan” movement.
“Is the ministry unaware of the No-Japan movement here? Or has it decided to completely ignore public opinion?” commented an internet user on Naver News. Another user echoed the sentiment saying, “I don't understand. On what grounds did the government choose to award Uniqlo when its stores here are shutting down due to the boycott?”
Some people heavily condemned the decision insisting that “the ministry should be dissolved.”
In October 2019, Uniqlo sparked a controversy over a video advertisement that Koreans claimed mocked victims of forced sexual slavery for the Japanese military during World War II. While explaining that people have over interpreted the content, the company decided to remove the ad in Korea.
Earlier in July last year, when Japan's trade restrictions on Korea had ignited a boycott movement towards Japanese products, Uniqlo fueled the movement after an executive of the company's headquarters had commented that “the ongoing movement will not last long.”
Following public backlash, the ministry issued a statement explaining that Uniqlo was selected as a family-friendly company in accordance to the selection criteria, not on the basis of being an excellent firm.
It also added plans to review the certification system. “Currently, firms causing social controversy are not being excluded from the program, but we will review ways to revise the standards based on expert opinions,” read the statement.