Dookki Apologizes for Controversial WBC Marketing Campaign in Taiwan

Seoul, South Korea – Korean tteokbokki franchise Dookki has issued a formal apology after its Taiwan subsidiary sparked significant controversy with a marketing campaign that exploited the results of the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC). The campaign, widely criticized as anti-Korean, utilized online discourse surrounding Korea’s victory over Australia to promote a discount event.

Marketing Campaign Draws Fire

The controversy began when Dookki’s Taiwan subsidiary posted promotional content on social media parodying the WBC group stage results. Following Korea’s 7-2 win against Australia, which eliminated Taiwan from contention, some Taiwanese fans alleged score manipulation. The Taiwan subsidiary then leveraged this online debate in its marketing materials.

One post featured a photo of a man holding a sign reading The Korean president apologizes accompanied by the text Sorry for manipulating the baseball score. Another promotion offered menu items for 540 Taiwan dollars (approximately 25,000 won) for two people, a price point seemingly referencing Taiwan’s previous 5-4 victory over Korea in the WBC.

“We recently confirmed that Dookki Taiwan expressed distorted facts while running a promotional event,” Dookki headquarters said in an official statement on Thursday. “We feel grave responsibility and sincerely apologize to everyone who felt discomfort and disappointment.” Korea JoongAng Daily

Apology and Event Cancellation

Initial reactions to the campaign were overwhelmingly negative, drawing criticism from both Korean and Taiwanese consumers. The individual featured in the promotional photo too issued an apology, stating, I tried to do it in a humorous way with a Korean theme, but I don’t think I paid enough attention to the choice of wording. However, the subsidiary initially announced it would continue the controversial event, further fueling the backlash.

Dookki canceled the promotional event. The Korean headquarters stated that the campaign was conducted independently by the Taiwan subsidiary without prior discussion.

“Sorry for manipulating the WBC scores, a Korean owner will apologize”…Dookki apologizes after marketing backfired Sedaily

Consumer Reaction

Consumers expressed their disappointment and reluctance to support the brand. One Seoul resident stated, I think it’s true that I’m a little reluctant to go. It’s since they’ve done bad marketing for Korea with sports culture. A Taiwanese citizen added, People are angry. The term ‘score manipulation’ is a very sensitive issue in Taiwan now..

Dookki has pledged to take steps to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.