At the National Assembly audit, the Adidas representative spoke only in English… but spoke Korean fluently with Son Heung-min.

Using an Interpreter at the National Assembly Hearing, Peter Kwak, the representative, spoke in Korean without an interpreter at an Adidas event last July. Source: YouTube ‘InterTV’ Capture,
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, ‘Peter Kwak (Kwak Geun-yeop), the representative of Adidas Korea, under suspicion of abusing franchisees, was criticized by both ruling and opposition party members for his insincere answers at the National Assembly’s Political Affairs Committee audit on the 21st.’,
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, ‘Unlike the previous year’s audit where Kwak answered in Korean, this time he spoke only in English using an interpreter and kept his hand in his pocket while responding to questions from the lawmakers.’,
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, ‘ MobileAdNew center ‘, ‘In January 2022, Adidas Korea’s business restructuring led to controversy when it unilaterally terminated franchise contracts. The affected franchisees formed the Adidas National Franchise Association, accusing the company of unfair practices such as the revocation of online sales rights and excessive compensation obligations. Both Kwak and Kim Jung-joong, the chairman of the association, appeared at the audit for the second consecutive year to address these issues.’,
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, ‘Lawmaker Shin Jang-sik from the Homeland Innovation Party stated, “After Adidas Korea announced its ‘Future Partner’ policy in 2022, more than 100 locations were closed, leaving only 19, with the headquarters now directly handling sales.” He then asked Kwak, “What efforts have you made in the past year to resolve issues with the franchisees?”’,
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, ‘In contrast to last year, Kwak responded in English through an interpreter. Shin criticized him, saying, “What is this about? Last year you answered everything in Korean, but this year you can’t speak Korean?”’,
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, ‘In response, Kwak, speaking in English, explained, “I wasn’t able to properly provide answers or express my thoughts during last year’s audit. More importantly, there is a risk of perjury due to my Korean, so I decided to use an interpreter this year to prevent significant issues.”’,
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, ‘ MobileAdNew center ‘, Peter Kwak, the representative of Adidas Korea, answering questions from lawmakers at last year’s Political Affairs Committee audit. Yonhap News,
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, ‘However, Kim Jung-joong, the association chairman, stated, “When he announced the strategy, Kwak presented to us in Korean. He never used English until today, which is the first time I’ve seen this.”’,
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, ‘In fact, during an Adidas event last July with soccer player Son Heung-min, Kwak communicated directly without an interpreter. He asked Son, “Do you know what shoes you wore for your debut goal?” When Son replied, “I think it was F5,” Kwak showed a box saying, “This is the model.” He continued speaking fluently in Korean, saying, “We found this as a birthday gift to commemorate your first goal, hoping it would be a meaningful present.”’,
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, ‘His demeanor was also criticized. Yu Young-ha, a member of the People Power Party, commented, “(Kwak) kept his hand in his pocket. I don’t know how different the cultures are between Canada, where he’s from, and Korea, but I doubt anyone would testify with such a casual attitude in Canada’s parliament.”’,
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, ‘Kang Min-kook, another member of the People Power Party, remarked, “When Rep. Shin asked questions, Kwak was seen taking notes. While he can communicate fully in Korean, it raises strong suspicions that he might be trying to undermine the audit. There may be a need for a special investigation concerning contempt of the National Assembly or perjury.”\n’]