Apple introduced its thinnest-ever smartphone, the iPhone 17 Air, at a launch event in Cupertino, California, on Tuesday, while quietly modifying its marketing campaign in Korea to avoid sparking controversy.
The new model measures just 5.6 millimetres (0.22 inches) thick — 0.2 millimetres slimmer than Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy S25 Edge, released in May — and weighs 165 grams (5.8 ounces). Calling the device “a game changer,” Apple CEO Tim Cook highlighted its sleek design as a key selling point.
To showcase its thinness, Apple released an image showing the phone delicately pinched between two fingers. The visual appeared across Apple websites in the United States, China, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Germany, Britain, and France. However, in Korea, the phone was shown alone, without the hand gesture.
Industry analysts say this Korea-only change was a strategic move to preempt a cultural backlash. In Korea, the pinching gesture — known as jibgeson or “crab hand” — has been adopted by radical “antimale” groups as a symbol mocking men’s bodies. The gesture has repeatedly triggered boycotts and online protests when it appeared in games, advertisements, and promotional materials.
In recent years, companies such as Nexon, Naver Webtoon, and Posco faced public criticism and were forced to remove content featuring the gesture after it went viral on male-focused online forums.
“Because men make up a large share of consumers for IT devices and games, companies are sensitive to their reactions,” one industry insider noted. “Apple likely wanted to avoid any potential controversy in Korea from the start.”
