Korean tteokbokki chain Dookki’s Taiwan branch runs promo mocking Korea’s WBC loss, sparks backlash and forced apology

Dookki (두끼), one of Korea’s biggest tteokbokki franchise brands, is facing backlash after its Taiwan branch posted a marketing promo on social media that taunted Korea’s 4-5 loss to Taiwan in the WBC group stage on March 8.

The promo featured photos of a man kneeling and holding a sign reading “We shouldn’t have manipulated the score” and “A gentleman doesn’t blame tteokbokki,” advertising a two-person set for 540 TWD (~25,000 KRW) through the end of March. The number “540” is a direct reference to the 5-4 scoreline, and the use of “score manipulation” implies Korea’s loss wasn’t legitimate — essentially weaponizing the defeat as a marketing gimmick.

To make things worse, the “kneeling apology” format is apparently a well-known sarcastic meme in Taiwanese online communities, basically meaning “Sorry not sorry.”

Korean residents in Taiwan and baseball fans flooded Dookki Taiwan’s social media with criticism. Dookki’s Korean headquarters responded by calling it “an event planned independently in Taiwan” and ordered the post taken down. The Taiwan subsidiary deleted it and issued an apology, saying they “tried to engage with fans by tapping into the passion for baseball” but acknowledged “inadequate planning and communication.”

Context: This comes amid existing tensions after Taiwan was eliminated from the WBC group stage when Korea beat Australia 7-2 on March 9. Some Taiwanese fans had already been leaving hateful comments on Korean player Mun Bo-gyeong’s social media, accusing him of intentional strikeouts to manipulate the score.

Source: Chosun Biz(https://biz.chosun.com/en/en-retail/2026/03/12/AAKHEUCASZBLPHXBSTS6PVP6QA/?outputType=amp)