'Karina model' Converse ad deleted and apology issued amid controversy over imagery evoking the KKK and anti-Black lynching

[Financial News] Converse, the U.S. footwear brand owned by Nike, Inc., deleted an advertising photo featuring Aespa member Karina and issued an official apology after facing fierce criticism that the image evoked the white supremacist group Ku Klux Klan (KKK).
According to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and other foreign media outlets on the 19th local time, online users repeatedly criticized a recent advertisement posted on Converse's official Instagram account, saying it evoked racist imagery.
The image was criticized because its deep shadows resembled the pointed white hoods associated with the KKK. In the past, the KKK concealed its members' faces with these white hoods while carrying out collective violence and racist terror against Black people. Controversy intensified as some viewers also said that a pair of sneakers hanging by their laces in the image evoked the appearance of a Black victim of lynching.
As criticism mounted, Converse immediately deleted the photo from social media. The company also said it was working to remove identical photos posted on other platforms and channels.
In an official apology issued the previous day, Converse said, "This should never have happened, and we will do better," adding, "We understand why this image is deeply regrettable, and we acknowledge that we were wrong."
The image was created for a promotional campaign for the Chuck 70 X sneakers, which Converse launched worldwide on the 27th of last month. The BBC reported that Karina, a member of the Korean K-pop group Aespa, participated as a model in the campaign and appeared wearing the shoes in several advertisements. Although the photo in question has been removed from the official account, screenshots have rapidly resurfaced across social media, keeping the controversy alive.  

[email protected] Park Ji-hyun Reporter