Korean Air got into some trouble for using an offensive choice of words in their new ads for their flights from Korea to Kenya. In their online ad promoting the new service, they described Kenyans as "indigenous people full of primitive energy," and Kenyans were not pleased.
Starting Thursday, June 21, Korean Air will offer three round-trip flights a week from Incheon to the Kenyan capital of Nairobi on its Airbus A330 jets.
The online ad started out saying "Korean Air will become the first air carrier in Northeast Asia to extend flight services to Nairobi."
However the part that spiked a lot of reaction was the last sentence.
"Fly Korean Air and enjoy the grand African Savanna, the safari tour, and the indigenous people full of primitive energy."
The choice of words became an issue of controversy to those on Twitter and #PrimitiveEnergy soon became a popular topic on the site.
Some were angered by the choice of words.
In response to some users calling the ad 'hilarious,' user Wayua Muli said,
"@WvanCleef @KoreanAir_KE That's not hilarious, it is insulting, illiterate & clearly written by someone who has never left Korean borders."
Many did find a bit of a sense of humor in response to the ad, such as user Wamahiga Muhia.
"My primitive Monday energy is overwhelming...I'm thinking of hanging out with the Lions chilling on Kenyatta Avenue #PrimitiveEnergy"
Some even got more creative and photoshopped the phrase into thinks like energy drinks, with the "Primitive Energy" phrase.
Korean Air caught onto the responses and replied, "Regarding our recent promotional notice of Nairobi, we are checking on this issue accordingly. We sincerely apologize for this situation."
After reviewing the responses, Korean Air deleted the ad, saying "The recent feedback of our notice of Nairobi had been removed from our website, and we will resume the page after revision."
Some believe that the chosen words got lost in translation from Korean to English, resulting in the insulting phrase "primitive energy."
Whether or not Korean Air meant it, the amusing and offensive phrasing of the advertisement seemed to work as far as marketing goes. Now everyone knows that the airline will be flying to Kenya three times a week.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
