A fitness center (Image courtesy of Pixabay)
SEOUL, Jun. 12 (Korea Bizwire) – While “no kids zones” barring children’s entry are a familiar concept, a fitness center in Incheon has ignited debate after declaring itself a “no ajummas allowed” establishment, using a term that can be derogatory toward middle-aged Korean women.
The controversy began when a post circulated on an online community for office workers, revealing a notice at the gym that read in red letters: “Ajummas not allowed. Only cultured and elegant women permitted to enter.”
The notice further listed eight criteria for defining an “ajumma,” including “someone who loves freebies regardless of age,” “someone who gets insulted everywhere but doesn’t realize why,” and “someone who sits in priority seats on public transportation meant for pregnant women.”
According to the gym, the notice was a response to some female members bringing laundry and spending hours doing it with hot water, as well as making sexually harassing remarks toward younger women.
“We posted the notice because some female members were causing problems by bringing laundry and doing it for one or two hours using hot water, and making sexually harassing comments to younger female members,” a representative from the gym explained.
However, the notice drew largely negative reactions from those who saw it. While businesses can legally restrict certain customers’ entry based on the “freedom of contract” principle, similar to “no kids” or “no seniors” policies, many netizens criticized the gym’s approach.
“It’s absurd to discriminate against an entire group because of some ill-mannered individuals,” one commenter wrote. “I wonder how much the owner must have suffered to resort to this,” said another, while others deemed the term “ajumma” itself as rude.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
