The encyclopedia · Advertising & PR · Marketing decision · 2026
A Korean chain turned Taiwan's WBC exit into an anti-Korea joke and had to apologise
Dookki's Taiwan unit posted a fake 'score manipulation' apology mocking Korea's WBC win; the post went viral and HQ retracted it in two countries.
Dookki · 두끼 · 2026-03-12
What happened
After South Korea beat Australia 7-2 in the 2026 World Baseball Classic and advanced to the quarterfinals, some Taiwanese netizens claimed the result was rigged because Taiwan had needed a different scoreline to advance. Dookki's Taiwan unit, a Korean tteokbokki chain, rode the rumour.
The brand posted an official-looking SNS message apologising for 'manipulating the score', with a photo of a man believed to be the Korean owner kneeling and holding a paper that said: 'We should not have manipulated the scores. We are sorry' and 'Please do not hate tteokbokki, even if you are magnanimous.'
The same post pushed a discount event, mocking Korea's win as illegitimate while selling its own food off the meme. The post was quickly deleted, but screenshots of the 'apology' spread across Taiwan and South Korea.
Two apologies followed. Dookki Taiwan said it had only wanted to ride public interest in baseball. Dookki headquarters issued a separate official apology, calling the event 'distorted facts', saying the local partner had acted without its knowledge, requiring the post to be deleted and warning against a repeat.
Why it happened
- The local marketing team borrowed an unfounded 'score manipulation' rumour to make a joke out of a national defeat, and used a fake apology as the punchline
- The brand treated an international sports event as a meme to sell tteokbokki, ignoring that the 'joke' touched national pride in both countries
- Riding the controversy generated screenshots faster than sales, and the brand's own countries were split against it
The lesson
A fake apology is not a joke when it drags national pride into it — Dookki Taiwan mocked Korea's WBC win with a staged 'score manipulation' apology and had to retract it within days.
Aftermath
Dookki Taiwan deleted the post and apologised, saying it had meant to engage fans with baseball interest but its planning and communication were insufficient. Dookki headquarters issued a separate apology calling the event 'distorted facts', confirmed the local partner had acted independently, required the content's removal and 'delivered a stern warning', and promised to strengthen global store operation guidelines.
Sources
- Seoul Economic Daily — Korean tteokbokki chain Dookki apologizes for Taiwan units' WBC post (Mar 2026)
- The Asia Business Daily — Dookki apologizes after Taiwan stores sparked controversy (Mar 2026)
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