The encyclopedia · Advertising & PR · Marketing decision · 2026
Isoi's '625% penetration' bus ad read as a Korean War joke — the CEO apologised
625 is the date the Korean War began and 'penetration' is what the invasion did. Isoi's serum slogans ran together; the CEO called it a failure of judgment.
Isoi · 2026-06-30
What happened
Isoi, a Korean cosmetics brand, ran outdoor ads for its Rose PDRN Dark Spot Serum that combined '625%' with words like 'penetration': 'Don't forget, 625% penetration, go deeper' appeared on Seoul city buses, alongside '625% overwhelming penetration'. '625' is national shorthand for 25 June 1950, the day the Korean War began; 'penetration' and 'don't forget' echoed the invasion and the wartime phrase 'Don't forget June 25'. The bus campaign ran for about a month from October 2025, and the '625%' language persisted on the brand's online content and product pages.
On 30 June 2026 a photo of the bus ad spread online, drawing thousands of reactions, boycott calls and demands for the evidence behind the '625%' figure. Isoi apologised on its website and social media, explaining that 625% was a skin-penetration figure from clinical testing of the serum's 1% Bulgarian rose oil, and said there was 'no intention to imply or associate any particular meaning' — while critics noted the statement announced no change to its review process.
CEO Jinmin Lee followed with a personal apology, calling the episode 'a failure of judgment and awareness' and revealing that he is the child of a decorated Korean War veteran. Isoi deleted the slogans from online content and product pages, began a full audit, and ran Korean War history training for all staff, promising to publish the results in July 2026.
Why it happened
- '625' is a national date, not a number: the slogan assembled a sentence around it — 'don't forget', 'penetration', 'deeper' — that mirrored the invasion itself
- The company's defence ('it's a clinical figure') never answered why a serum needs to 'penetrate deeper' in a country invaded from the north
- The apology came a year after the first criticism — the bus campaign ran in October 2025 and the language stayed online until June 2026
The lesson
A number is never just a number when it is a national date. The copy that needed one more reader — someone who remembers June 25 — was shipped by a team that did not have one.
Aftermath
Isoi removed the offending language from online content and product pages, started an audit, and put all staff through Korean War history training with results promised for July 2026. The brand also reaffirmed its support for war veterans and the bereaved. The episode became the second Korean ad scandal in weeks over national trauma, after Starbucks Korea's 'Tank Day' promotion tied to the 18 May Gwangju anniversary, and industry commentary (Asia Economy Daily, Inside Retail) treated both as the cost of marketing teams without historical literacy.
Sources
- Asia Economy Daily: Following 'Tank Day', the '625% Penetration' ad sparks debate
- Inside Retail: Isoi's '625%' misstep and the rising cost of historical blind spots in Korea
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