A notice banning 'Ahjummas' (middle-aged women) from entering a gym in Incheon has sparked controversy, the gym's owner finally spoke up to explain the situation.
According to Yonhap News TV on the 12th, A, who has been running the gym in Incheon for over a year, clarified about the so-called "No Ahjumma Zone" notice, saying, "It was an action that was necessary for us to implement due to some problematic customers that have caused inconvenience to others."
A complained about the damage he suffered from, saying, "Some customers would spend 1-2 hours doing laundry in the changing room, steal supplies, and take towels, soap, and hairdryers. One even took a dump in the changing room."
Additionally, A pointed out that some middle-aged women made sexually harassing remarks toward young female customers, leading to a decline in business.
"They sit in a row and comment on others' bodies. Young women feel very uncomfortable when Ahjummas make such remarks. Those young women have directly told me about it and left the gym," A explained.
However, A emphasized that the notice was meant to warn these troublesome customers to refrain from such behavior and was not intended as a hateful statement against Ahjummas.
-Is it common for Ahjummas to defecate in the locker room? I've been to many gyms and never heard of such a thing. But is it right to label all Ahjummas as problematic because of this? I'll become an Ahjumma someday, and it feels awful. Just make it a 'no women' zone, please.
-I'd rather avoid the owner of this gym more than those problematic Ahjummas. Displaying such hatred openly and being proud of it is sociopathic.
-It's interesting that young women are allowed to enter the gym, but older women are not.
-I completely understand being frustrated with problematic behavior, but labeling it as 'Ahjummas' is pure hate. How do you think other normal Ahjummas at the gym will feel now? It's like saying 'Ahjummas = problematic! Ahjummas, stay away from our gym.'
-Congratulations on turning your gym into a men-only gym.
-What nonsense.
-Make it a men-only gym thenㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Yes, go ahead. Spread the word so only clean men go there. Ridiculous. This was just an excuse to make it a young women's only space, wasn't it? Do as you please, but only men will end up going there.
-Poor choice of words.
-Address the bad behavior directly. Why bring up unrelated issues?
-Right, make it a men-only gym. The owner doesn't seem to understand the difference between addressing problematic behavior and displaying hate.
