Apple has changed an iPad mini marketing image on its South Korean website by removing a hand gesture that has previously caused controversy in the country. The same promotional image appears with the hand intact on Apple websites in several other regions.
The image promotes the updated iPad mini with OLED by showing its thin profile, with a hand holding the device using the thumb and forefinger. While the gesture looks ordinary in most countries, some people in South Korea associate it with an offensive reference to the size of male genitalia.
Apple changes iPad mini image in South Korea
ITHome reported that Apple’s South Korean online store uses an edited version of the promotional image that removes the hand completely. Apple’s Chinese website and other regional pages continue to show the original image with the fingers visible.
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The gesture has attracted controversy in South Korea because some online communities associate it with misandry and feminist messaging. Similar disputes have previously affected advertising and entertainment companies in the country.
The Korea Times reported that the issue received widespread attention in 2023 after a promotional video for Nexon’s MapleStory included a similar hand gesture. Online criticism eventually led to an apology, an investigation, and the removal of related promotional material.
Apple has made similar changes before
Apple appears to have taken the same approach with previous product marketing in South Korea. Promotional imagery for the iPhone Air also removes fingers that remain visible on versions of the page shown in other countries.
The changes suggest Apple reviews regional marketing material for cultural concerns before publishing it, allowing the company to keep its product messaging consistent while avoiding imagery that has previously triggered controversy in South Korea.
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