Ruling party leader causes stir with social media post about Ghana chocolate

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

National

Thu, November 30, 2023 | 10:12

Politics

Ruling party leader causes stir with social media post about Ghana chocolate

Posted : 2022-11-29 17:14

Updated : 2022-11-30 13:24

Head of the Korean football league of lawmakers Rep. Chung Jin-suk, right in red uniform, enters the Seoul World Cup Stadium with his Japanese counterpart Eto Seishiro before the match between the two countries marking the 20th year anniversary of 2002 FIFA World Cup is held, Saturday. Yonhap

By Lee Hae-rin

Rep. Chung Jin-suk, the interim chief of the ruling conservative People Power Party (PPP), uploaded a photo of a broken Ghana chocolate bar made by Lotte Confectionery on social media on Monday, hours before the Korean national football team's match against the African nation.

"Ghana… (We) will crush you like this tonight," he wrote with a smile emoji.

The lawmaker's post is seen as expressing his longing for Team Korea's victory in Monday's match.

But his social media post created a stir.

Rep. Chung Jin-suk of People Power Party uploaded a photo prior to the Korea national football team's match against Ghana during the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Monday. A Ghana chocolate bar is broken into pieces. Screenshot from Rep. Chung Jin-suk's Facebook

Online commenters responded to the post, criticizing him for his undiplomatic rhetoric. One responder wrote, "This lawmaker does not know the least of common courtesy to an opponent nation (of the football match)."

Rep. Chung's Facebook post was later removed.

As Korea lost to Ghana 3-2 in its second Group H match of the FIFA World Cup on Monday, similar remarks have surged online associating the African nation and its football team with the chocolate brand of the same name.

As of Tuesday noon, a tweet that read "I will no longer eat Ghana (chocolate) and have Hershey's instead" has been retweeted over 8,000 times, while another tweet that read "I will burn (destroy) all Ghana chocolate" was shared by over 4,000 users.

Followed by Team Korea's defeat on Monday night, "Ghana chocolate" has trended on Twitter as several online users mentioned boycotting the confectionery brand to express their frustration with the game's results, while some uploaded pictures of crushed chocolate bars.

The Ghana chocolate brand was introduced in 1964, and has been produced in Korea by Lotte Confectionery since 1975. It was named after the cocoa-producing nation to emphasize the origin of the imported raw materials. The brand has raised Korea's awareness of the African nation.

This is not the lawmaker's first time to have caused a stir with his controversial remarks.

In June 2018, Rep. Chung faced backlash for commenting that his party, which was then named Liberty Korea Party (LKP), "sank completely like the Sewol ferry," to explain the party's defeat in local and parliamentary elections.

In September 2017, the lawmaker claimed on social media that the late former President Roh Moo-hyun committed suicide after "quarreling with his wife," Kwon Yang-sook, after Kwon and their son were questioned by prosecutors on allegations of receiving bribes. The bereaved family filed a libel suit against Rep. Chung and the lawmaker will be tried for defamation.

lhr@koreatimes.co.kr