How can a Korean company do this! "Sorry for manipulating WBC scores"... Marketing mockery of Korea in Taiwan

*This content was translated by AI.

The Korean baseball team, which is on the brink of a cliff, dramatically advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), completing a scenario that no one expected. However, Taiwan, with mixed feelings of joy and sorrow, fell into despair. In addition, Korean companies operating in Taiwan are using this sentiment to create controversy with excessive marketing.

Taiwanese media Now News published an article titled "Doo Meal," an apology marketing disaster for the Korean team's score manipulation, and an emergency apology after being beaten up by both Taiwanese and Korean fans."

Dookki, well-known as a tteokbokki brand, continues to do business in Taiwan and overseas, and it became a hot topic to market by taking advantage of the mixed feelings between Korea and Taiwan for advancing to the quarterfinals at the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC).

Dookki said on the social networking service (SNS) "Dookki_taiwan" account on the 11th, "On March 9 (against Australia), 'Tteokbokki-gun (Dookki Mascot)" struck out without doing anything to control the score. Dookki was furious at this passive attitude. Currently, Tteokbokki has been demoted to the 3rd division and is reflecting on the wall, he said. "On behalf of Tteokbokki, Dookki, who raises blood pressure for baseball fans across Taiwan, I offer a deep apology." I hope that the fans will forgive Tteokbokki's mistakes with a generous heart and continue to love baseball and two meals," he said.

He then said, "The boss has prepared exclusive benefits with a sorry heart," and that he will hold a special event across Taiwan for 540 Taiwan dollars for two people.

He posted three pictures together, and an employee of the brand expressed his apology while kneeling with a handwritten message. "I'm sorry. "We shouldn't have manipulated the score," "Please don't mind the tteokbokki group's breakdown," and "$540 with two people (a small 5:4 at the top right)."

Comparing Moon Bo-kyung to the brand's mascot, "Tteokbokki-gun," he apologized for the strikeout, and at the same time, set the event amount for the two-person set at "Twenty-four Taiwan Dollars" to target Taiwan's 5-4 victory over South Korea. It is a blatant mockery of what has been painful for Korea for marketing.

South Korea played against Australia with a slim number of cases, meeting the requirement of more than five points and two runs or less. It is true that Moon Bo-kyung's strikeout seemed a little lethargic, but even if South Korea scored more points, there was no chance that Taiwan would advance to the quarterfinals unless it lost additional points. Earlier, the criticism of Taiwanese baseball fans toward Moon Bo-kyung was unconvincing. Nevertheless, Dookki used the emotions of Taiwanese baseball fans to market, but did not receive a positive response in Taiwan.

The post spread quickly and sparked controversy in Taiwan as well as Korea. In the end, Dookki deleted the post and even posted an apology. "The content of yesterday's post was intended to communicate with fans by borrowing the heated atmosphere of baseball, but it caused inconvenience to fans due to lack of meticulousness in the planning and communication process," Dookki said. "If we take this situation seriously and immediately start an internal review, we will thoroughly re-examine the marketing process in the future so that it does not go against social norms."

In the process, not only Korean baseball fans but also many in Taiwan voiced rational voices. According to Now News, sports-specialized communities pointed out that Korea should look back on their performance, saying, "Whether it was 7 points or 8 points, Korea was in a situation to advance anyway." In addition, criticism is pouring in, saying, "It is the worst marketing that perfectly turns both Taiwanese and Korean fans into enemies."

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*This content was translated by AI.