Japan’s DHC doubles down as boycott builds

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Japan’s DHC doubles down as boycott builds

DHC subsidiary DHC TV on Wednesday argued that inflammatory remarks made on its show are based on the truth and vowed to continue expressing its press freedoms.

DHC is a Tokyo-based company that specializes in health and beauty products.

The online channel of the Japanese brand claimed in an official statement posted on the channel’s website Wednesday morning that the remarks made on its show are “reasonable criticisms based on truth.”

DHC TV’s comments came a day after Kim Mu-jeon, head of DHC Korea, apologized to domestic consumers over the disparaging remarks made on the channel’s show, which has led to the nationwide boycott of the brand.

Major retailers, including Olive Young, lalavla and Boots, pulled DHC products from their online malls while they moved the products to less visible locations inside their brick-and-mortar stores.

In the Wednesday post, DHC TV argued that the “show deals with news from diverse perspectives with the goal to realize the freedom of the press in the democratic country of Japan.”

“Although criticism against the program’s content has been raised by the Korean press, we believe the discussions made on our show are based on facts and are reasonable criticisms that are within the range of the freedom of the press.”

It added that we “hope the Korean press pinpoints in which way [the show] is against Korea or distorting the history.”

The internet channel expressed its dissatisfaction with the boycott against DHC products in Korea, which is spreading fast with the hashtag #goodbyeDHC on Instagram.

It explained that DHC products sold in Korea are irrelevant to the content of DHC TV and described the Korean boycott as “beyond common sense” and an attempt to impose a blockade on the media.

The internet channel concluded that it will “protect freedom of speech without yielding to any pressure,” implying inflammatory remarks made against Korea could continue.

DHC TV caused an uproar in Korea starting from Saturday after people on the show made controversial remarks about Korea. The remarks include casting doubt on Korea’s claim over the Dokdo islets and implying that Korea initiated tensions between the two countries over controversial issues like the so-called comfort women or forced labor victims during World War II.

The show also featured a remark that downplayed the Korean boycott against Japanese brands since “Korea is a country that easily heats up and cools off.”

BY JIN MIN-JI [jin.minji@joongang.co.kr]
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