Lotte department store fails to filter disturbing "Rape" message broadcast on its huge electronic billboard

[T/W Trigger Warning]

A disturbing message was displayed on the LED display board in the heart of Seoul, just outside the main branch of the Lotte Department Store, which typically showcases messages from the city's residents.

According to both the police and Lotte Department Store, on the evening of November 14 at 10 PM, an alarming message reading, "I'm going to rape every woman in Korea," was displayed on the LED billboard, which adorned the exterior wall of the Lotte Department Store's central branch in Jung-gu, Seoul. This unsettling message appeared alongside the cheerful backdrop of Christmas decorations. Furthermore, an identical message with the same chilling content was also displayed in English once more on the LED board.

MK News reported that this incident took place during a special event that allowed citizens to submit messages through a QR code, which were then displayed on the massive LED billboard on the department store's facade.

The event permitted the simultaneous display of multiple messages, with up to six message cards appearing at once on the screen. When a new message was sent, the previous one would disappear.

Promptly following the appearance of the offensive message, a store employee removed it. However, Lotte Department Store disclosed that a concerned citizen reported the incident to the customer center the following day after seeing a photograph circulating on social media (SNS).

In response to this incident, Lotte Department Store has temporarily suspended the message event and is now featuring Christmas videos on the LED billboard.

In a statement, Lotte Department Store expressed their disappointment, saying, "Despite our efforts to implement precautionary measures, such as adding additional restricted words to the filtering system, it appears that certain words were not adequately filtered out. We had diligently prepared for this event over the course of a year in anticipation of the Christmas season, and it is deeply regrettable that this unfortunate incident occurred." The statement also mentioned, "As soon as our legal team completes the necessary preparations, we intend to file a formal complaint with the Seoul Namdaemun Police Station."