Kandid Korea #2: Finally AIDS is cute again!
16 Nov
The long-awaited second installment of “Kandid Korea”! There is nothing I love more than stumbling upon the weird, yet wonderful, parts of Korea and the world at large. These treasures can give us insight into the people and cultures behind them. As always, please keep in mind when I say “weird” I mean it in the best possible way.This entry was spotted in an uber cheap love motel (25,000 won) across from Seoul Station.
Now two people stuck together inside the open end of a condom is not even close to the weirdest part of this picture, which is meant to somehow entice people to purchase condoms. If you look closely, this extremely upbeat condom is holding several lollipops one of which has the word “AIDS” printed on it. WTF? What does that mean? AIDS is like candy? Why does this condom have an AIDS lollipop? That’s not its job! What was the thought process that lead to this idea which was then surely approved by more than one person? I can hear the them now:“Oh AIDS lollipop? Great idea! Why didn’t I think of that? It’s seems so obvious now I can’t believe no one has done it before.”This leads to another phenomenon in Korea and really in most of East Asia. I remember the exact same thing when I was living in Taiwan. Everything has to be cute! It doesn’t matter if all you need is a tape dispenser – it has to be a cute tape 
dispenser. It should be shaped like a cookie or a doughnut or something that is smiling/laughing with huge eyes. Even if
you can find something that isn’t all “cuted out” there will always be a cute option. Even the silverware I use at home have dancing pandas on them – that are all apparently best friends. There is no line, everything that can be “cutified” will be “cutified” and that includes fatal diseases. I can’t wait to see what they come up with for Ebola.
dispenser. It should be shaped like a cookie or a doughnut or something that is smiling/laughing with huge eyes. Even ifyou can find something that isn’t all “cuted out” there will always be a cute option. Even the silverware I use at home have dancing pandas on them – that are all apparently best friends. There is no line, everything that can be “cutified” will be “cutified” and that includes fatal diseases. I can’t wait to see what they come up with for Ebola.
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This is the only reason why I don’t use Korean condoms.
(Mine are made in China like everything else.)
I love how the dude is trying to high-five the giant condom man lol.
Is he high-fiving him? I thought he was just saying “NO LOLLIPOP FOR ME CONDOM GUY!” lol
Wow– this would create an uproar in the US! Critics would claim this encourages little kids to buy condoms. I have to say, this is an attention-getting strategy