Liberty, fraternity and 20GB of MP3s
That appears to be the thinking at South Korean gadget maker ReignCom, the company behind the iRiver brand of digital music players. The company ran newspaper ads this week suggesting it was a slam against Korean pride for anyone there to buy an iPod.
According to the newspaper Chosun Ilbo, the ads ran on March 1, Independence Movement Day, when the country celebrates its liberation from Japanese occupation.
The ads featured a large image of the South Korean flag and text reminiscent of World War II propaganda posters.
"U.S. firms are sweeping up most of the world's HDD- (hard-disk drive) type MP3 player market," the ad reads. "As a sovereign MP3 state, we could not simply sit back and watch."
"After spending countless nights in the research room, we've finally produced a precious son for the world market," the call to arms continues. "There will be many difficulties, but we are not afraid. We are the descendents of martyrs who braved bullets and swords to bring about independence."
An unnamed ReignCom representative told the newspaper that recent iPod price cuts are part of Apple's "offensive to kill local MP3 manufacturers." Apple has dominated the market for hard drive-based music players since the iPod's inception, despite fresh competition from manufacturers such as iRiver and Singapore's Creative Technologies.
ReignCom previously distinguished itself in the advertising world by hiring
adult-entertainment star Jenna Jameson to hawk its portable video players.
