The latest Korean target of Chinese politics / Yonhap



By Jung Min-ho



Jeju Air, a Korean budget airline, has removed "Taiwanese or Hong Kong people" from its recent job advertisement after a Chinese student complained.



A Jeju Air official told The Korea Times Wednesday that the airline has revised the wording in its promotional flyer from "Taiwanese, Chinese or Hong Kong people" to people "who came from Shandong, Hong Kong and Taiwan" after a Chinese college student in Seoul claimed Taiwan and Hong Kong are not countries.



"In response to her complaint, we revised the wording to show regions instead of countries," the official said. "The student was persistent and our advertising agency was unable to handle it skillfully at the beginning, so the issue spread quickly."



The promotion was targeting foreign students living in Korea for a paid internship at Jeju Air, with incentives of free travel. The flyers were distributed to colleges across Seoul, including her school (University of Seoul), about a week ago.



The student saw the flyer and complained to K-Pal, an advertising agency for Jeju Air, via Instagram. She insisted that it should have said: "Chinese people (including those from Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan)." The student then threatened to tell the Chinese embassy and media if the agency refused to comply with her request.



The Jeju Air official said the company apologized to the student on behalf of K-Pal.



The incident shows how sensitive the issue of sovereignty has become in China, a country that is increasingly emboldened on the international stage.



Earlier this year, Chinese aviation authorities demanded an apology from Delta Air Lines for listing Taiwan and Tibet as countries on its website, while another government agency took aim at fashion brand Zara and medical device maker Medtronic Plc for similar issues.

