A giant-screen advertisement featuring same-sex couples kissing and embracing was removed just four days after it appeared in Seoul's Gangnam district due to multiple complaints.

The ad, promoting a matchmaking app for the LGBTQ+ community, began airing on August 26 along Gangnam’s Nonhyeon-dong street. It was scheduled to run at least 100 times a day for a year under its licensing contract. 

However, by August 30, the Gangnam Ward government requested its suspension, citing complaints and concerns that the content could be seen as harmful to traditional values under laws regulating advertisements with potentially obscene content.

The ad has since been replaced with a different promotion from the same company. The CEO of the matchmaking app expressed disappointment, noting the significant investment made and questioning why a project supporting sexual minorities faced such a backlash in 2024. (Yonhap)