A TV commercial featuring chef Ahn Sung-jae, a promotional ambassador for Han-don pork, has been released, drawing renewed attention and mixed reactions in online communities.
On April 28, users on an online community shared the campaign video titled, “A world-class ingredient, Han-don close to you.”
The ad highlights Han-don’s flavor through close-up visuals of meat cooking and juices flowing. In a segment labeled “Superfood,” it presents Han-don from a nutritional perspective, describing it as a balanced everyday ingredient with protein and essential nutrients.
Some commenters linked the timing to Ahn’s recent “wine switch” controversy and compared it to Baek Jong-won, CEO of Theborn Korea, who previously faced criticism over the Han-don content of his “Baek Ham” product.
Comments included, “A Han-don ad at this timing feels meaningful,” and “It’s like Han-don showed up as a grim reaper.” Others argued online over whether the ad’s release coincided with the controversy.
The dispute stems from an earlier controversy involving wine service at “Mosu Seoul,” a fine-dining restaurant operated by Ahn.
A user identified as A wrote in a Naver cafe that after ordering an expensive wine at Mosu Seoul, a different wine was served. A said a sommelier held a bottle and described it as a “2005” vintage, but after tasting the wine and checking the pairing list, A realized a 2000 vintage was supposed to be served. A said it appeared a different wine had been provided.
Mosu Seoul posted an apology on its official social media account on April 23, saying, “We bow our heads and offer our apologies regarding the matter recently shared through online communities.”
The restaurant said that on April 19, “accurate guidance was not provided” during the wine pairing service, causing confusion, and that staff also failed to give a sufficient explanation afterward. It added that it had separately apologized to the customer, who accepted it, but said the restaurant took seriously that the response still fell short of expectations.
Even after the apology, some online users continued to express negative views.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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