Product placement (PPL) has become a widely practiced technique in Korean dramas. PPL is the strategic placement of a product or brand in a way that doesn’t come across as hard selling or direct advertising. This advertising technique has proven to increase sales of certain products when executed correctly.

However, some PPL instances can be quite strange and even disruptive, leading to strong protests from the Korean public. Curious about which Korean dramas feature odd PPL? Here are a few examples:

1. School 2015 (2015)

In this drama, there’s a scene where Gong Tae Kwang, played by actor and singer Yook Sung Jae, is seen crying emotionally on the road at night. Typically, crying scenes on the road occur inside a car, bus, or while running on the sidewalk. However, the actor is crying while riding an electric unicycle!

Not only is it difficult to ride normally, but crying while doing so is even more challenging. It turns out that the electric unicycle was a sponsor of School 2015.

2. The King: Eternal Monarch (2020)

One of the more ridiculous PPL instances, according to Korean netizens, occurs when supporting male character Kang Shin Jae, portrayed by Kim Kyung Nam, unexpectedly pulls out kimchi (a traditional Korean pickle) from his pocket to give to the main female character Jong Tae Eul (Kim Go Eun).

The issue is that they are both in a car at night, on a quiet road, with no shops or convenience stores in sight. Some Korean netizens commented, “He randomly pulls out kimchi from his pocket. Who carries kimchi sachets around?”

3. Vincenzo (2021)

The relationship between China and South Korea is very sensitive, and what seems harmless to audiences outside the two countries can trigger controversy among netizens in both nations online.

This happened in one PPL scene in Vincenzo. The main male character, Vincenzo, played by top actor Song Joong Ki, is seen eating instant bibimbap (a traditional Korean mixed rice dish), but the product actually comes from China, while bibimbap is considered Korean cuisine. Korean netizens questioned why the production company for Vincenzo chose to sponsor bibimbap from China rather than Korea.

As a result of the protests from Korean netizens, Song Joong Ki issued a formal apology. Meanwhile, the producers of Vincenzo decided to remove the PPL scene from episode 8 from all streaming services.

It turns out that placing PPL requires a certain artistry to achieve soft selling objectives without disrupting the story and scenes of the drama. Curious about how to effectively implement PPL that suits your company? Contact the advertising agency LinkMedia, which has experience producing PPL in over 20 Korean and Chinese dramas at https://link-media.co.id.