"Was the prize at the Yeoju Ceramic Festival a 6,500-won Chinese-made ceramic piece?" Foundation apologizes amid controversy

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[Financial News] The Yeoju Sejong Cultural Tourism Foundation, which organizes the Yeoju Ceramic Festival, issued a formal apology after it was revealed that low-cost Chinese-made ceramics had been given away as prizes, sparking controversy. The foundation is also facing growing criticism over its management and oversight, as it came under fire last year for airing footage of a Chinese military parade on the festival stage.
According to the Yeoju Sejong Cultural Tourism Foundation and others on the 28th, the festival ran a social media photo event during the Yeoju Ceramic Festival, which was held from the 1st to the 10th of this month. Twenty visitors who posted festival photos on their personal social media accounts were selected by lottery to receive a "mini moon jar."
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The controversy erupted after travel creator A, one of the event winners, posted a photo on her social media account on the 26th and asked, "Should I just stay quiet like a sack of rice because I got it for free?"
A explained, "I won the visit review event for the Yeoju Ceramic Festival and received a mini moon jar as a prize. To be honest, I made the reel because I wanted to get this."
She added, "When I opened the package, I honestly couldn't believe my eyes. This was an event held under the name of the 'Yeoju Ceramic Festival,' but what I received was cheap quality, with a 'Made in China' sticker still attached. Is this really acceptable?"
The photo showed a sticker reading "Made in China" attached to the bottom of the mini moon jar she received as a prize. She also described what happened afterward.
A said, "I didn't just stay quiet like a sack of rice and then write about it. I left a message with the event agency, but even after they read it, there was no reply." She then criticized the organizers, saying, "The organizer wouldn't even check its official Instagram DMs, so I called directly, and they played word games by saying the prize notice only said 'mini moon jar.'"
She continued, "Who would have imagined they would hand out this kind of cheap Chinese-made item at the Yeoju Ceramic Festival?" She added, "It felt insulting, as if they had treated me worse than if they had given nothing at all. They gave a hollow, perfunctory 'understood,' and I won't be going next year."
As news spread that low-cost Chinese-made ceramics had been used as prizes at a festival meant to promote the local ceramic industry and Yeoju's pottery culture, criticism quickly spread online.
One internet user, who said their parents had run a booth at the festival for more than 10 years, wrote, "My parents have been making ceramics for 30 years. I can guarantee there is no booth among the participating vendors selling imported Chinese goods." The user added, "I will strongly protest to the Yeoju Ceramic Festival organizers and request an internal audit. I am extremely angry."
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As the controversy grew, Lee Soon-yeol, chair of the Yeoju Sejong Cultural Tourism Foundation, issued a formal apology, saying, "I deeply apologize for causing concern and worry to citizens and visitors."
According to The Hankyoreh, the event was planned and run entirely by an outside marketing contractor, which handled promotion, prize preparation, and winner notifications. The foundation's investigation found that the contractor purchased Chinese-made ceramics worth about 6,500 won each from an online retailer and sent them to winners without any separate inspection.
Lee said, "It is highly inappropriate for low-cost Chinese-made products to be handed out as prizes at a festival intended to highlight the value of local potters and the ceramic industry." She added, "As the person responsible for overseeing the overall operation of the festival, I apologize once again." The foundation said it would newly produce Yeoju-made moon jars and resend them to all event winners.
The foundation was also at the center of controversy last year. At a performance stage during the Yeoju Ogok Naru Festival in November, the flag of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) was displayed and footage of a Chinese military parade was shown, drawing strong criticism. At the time as well, critics said content that did not fit the festival's purpose had been put on stage without proper review.
As criticism continues to repeat that the foundation outsourced festival operations without sufficiently reviewing the identity and symbolism of local festivals, while neglecting its management and oversight duties, calls are growing for a broader review of the operating system for local festivals.
y27k@fnnews.com Seo Yoon-kyung Reporter