Renault Korea opens 'personnel committee' to investigate hand gesture controversy

Renault Korea Motors CEO Stephane Deblaise [RENAULT KOREA]

The CEO of Renault Korea will open a personnel committee on the staff responsible for “misandrist” images in its YouTube channel and call for measures to prevent recurrence.

The Korean unit of French automotive company Renault Group came under fire earlier this week after online commenters alleged videos posted to the company's official YouTube channel, Renault Inside, contained anti-male imagery.

A presenter known as Reporter D appeared to make a hand gesture that is used to mock the size of male genitals in some online Korean circles in multiple YouTube videos, including a recent promotion of the company's yet-to-be-released Grand Koleos SUV.

Renault Korea Motors CEO Stephane Deblaise said the videos had “caused social controversy” and that “the company is facing the magnitude and influence it has caused” in a statement uploaded as a pop-up banner on Renault Korea Motors’ internal website on Wednesday.

The company “removed the videos immediately, started an investigation with a professional and will open a personnel committee to examine the case,” the CEO said.

“Renault will not tolerate any kind of discrimination, [and] the company, following such incidents, will systemize the creation, approval and communication process of the in-house created content and enforce a thorough ethics education to prevent such issues from recurring.”

Renault Korea issued a statement last Sunday on its YouTube channel apologizing for the controversy and announcing that the company had suspended the employee in charge, after previous statements, uploaded last Friday and Saturday, were accused of lacking sincerity. The first two statements and all videos previously uploaded to the channel were eventually removed.

The suspended employee, in a now-deleted statement released Saturday, said she was "aware that specific hand gestures are an action of hate" but claimed to have "not realized the hand gestures made could be interpreted that way."

Renault Korea unveiled its flagship Grand Koleos SUV at the Busan International Mobility Show held in Busan on June 27. The vehicle is based on the Geely Xingyue L. While the preorders for the Grand Koleos surpassed 5,000 units in three days, according to Renault Korea, the firm's front line salespeople have claimed that preorder cancellations are rising following the controversy.

Still, some online have called the large-scale apology an overreaction. "I can't believe companies react so much to such a small issue," a commenter posted to the predominantly female community Theqoo on Wednesday.

BY KIM JI-HYE [cho.yongjun1@joongang.co.kr]