South Korean McDonald's Balloon Ad For New Chili Pepper Burger Goes Wrong

Earlier this week, McDonald’s Korea launched three new menu items as part of “Taste of Korea,” a “local sourcing initiative introducing various menu items using high-quality domestic ingredients.”

#진주고추크림치즈버거
풍미 가득한 맛의 비밀은?🤫

햇빛을 가득 받고 자라
맛 좋은 국내산 진주 고추로
매콤 새콤한 고추 피클로 만든 후
고소한 크림치즈에 쏙쏙! 넣어 완성!

매콤 꼬소하게 자꾸 생각나는 맛
이것이 바로 진정한 한국의 맛 아입니까?😎#맥도날드 #한국의맛 #진주고추 #맛의비밀 pic.twitter.com/ZHtl2Mkm8y

— 맥도날드(McDonald's) (@KOR_McDonalds) July 11, 2024

At a tasting event held at the McDonald’s outlet in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Yang Hyoung Keun, the director of the company’s public affairs, said that this year’s feature is the Jinju Pepper Cream Cheese Burger, made with chili peppers from Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province.

The new burger incorporates local Jinju chili peppers in its toppings and sauce, including a jjangajji pickle made from the peppers mixed with cream cheese, giving it a distinctive spicy flavor.

— The Chosun Daily

The new, spicy Jinju Pepper Cream Cheese Burger piqued the interest of many Koreans who rushed to McDonald’s to try it.

오늘 출시한 맥날 진주 고추 크림치즈 버거 후기

고추 크림치즈는 많이 맵지는 않고 맵싹한 정도?
크림치즈가 햄버거랑 잘 어울릴까 했는데 완전 잘 어울림 그리고 쇠고기패티 2장에 베이컨까지 들어가서 자칫하면 느끼할 수도 있는데 이걸 싹 잡아줌

결론 : 맛있음 하지만 내 최애는 슈비버거~ pic.twitter.com/HlLtRzqCLe

— 지멋 (@zimeot) July 11, 2024

A review of the McDonald’s Jinju Spicy Pepper Cream Cheese Burger released today: The cream cheese isn’t spicy. It just adds a little bit of heat. I wasn’t sure how well the cream cheese would go with the patties, but they pair so nicely together. It comes with two patties and bacon, too. So, I thought it’d be heavy. But the heat from the cream cheese takes care of that. Conclusion: It’s good! The shrimp beef burger is still my favorite, though.

— @zimeot/X

In celebration of the successful launch, a McDonald’s branch in Jinju sent up a balloon ad in the shape of a chili pepper…

Welcome! Welcome to Jinju, the home of the chili pepper burger.

— McDonald’s Branch in Jinju, Korea

…which has now gone viral for being… well, spicy.

A r/korea reddit post titled “Maccas advert gone wrong” shared a picture of the balloon ad from a different angle, making it more phallic than intended.

Maccas advert gone wrong
byu/Vegetable-Place4463 inkorea

Though, as one comment pointed out, considering the Korean term gochu (고추, chili pepper) is “a well-known euphemism for penis,” perhaps it was inevitable.

Screenshot 2024-07-13 at 4.46.53 PM — | *r/korea/Reddit*

A theqoo user also shared an even more explicit(?) version taken by their friend…

…which now has the Korean online communities also cracking up about the ad gone wrong (or as fated, who knows?).

Screenshot 2024-07-13 at 4.52.06 PM — | *theqoo*

“Oh, my…”
“They knew.”
“They absolutely knew.”
“What the— LMAO.”
“Why did they have to include the two balls, LOL. So naughty!”
“Exactly what they wanted, haha.”
“WRONG ANGLE, haha.”
“This is so—”
“These balloons are looking a bit too much like something else.”
“My eyes!”
“Huh?!”

Meanwhile, McDonald’s and its global locations remain boycotted. K-Pop stars, like aespa, SHINee‘s Key, and NewJeans, have all faced backlash for collaborating with the brand. Read more about it here: