The South Korean conglomerate is facing patriotic outrage after the Lotte Group's division gave up land so that Seoul can set up its THAAD missile defense system.
A group of 20 men and women protested in front of Lotte's supermarket located in Jilin. They held a banner that states: "South Korea's Lotte Group has declared war on China. Lotte supports THAAD. They must immediately GET OUT of China."
Photos from the protest went viral on Chinese social media. Top commenters ridiculed and accused the men and women who protested for being "brainwashed boxers" or wondering how much they had been paid to protest.
One Weibo user commented: "After Lotte starts offering storewide discounts, the protesters will throw down their banners one by one and rush inside to go shopping."
"And yet, all the workers inside the Lotte supermarket are their fellow countrymen," another Weibo user pointed out.
Another netizen wondered and posted: "North Korean missile tests endanger Jilin as well, why have I not seen any Jilin aunties protesting at the North Korean consulate or restaurants?"
Not all social media users ridiculed the protesters. Others applauded in support for them. According to the poll that was done by the nationalistic Global Times before the land swap took place, 95 percent of respondents said they would boycott Lotte if they agreed to the deal.
One former loyal Lotte shopper said: “I used to buy some daily commodities at the Lotte Mart, which is near my home. But after the THAAD incident, I will go there less often.”
Lotte, who has over 100 supermarkets and five department stores in China, admitted that it is concerned about the outrage, as it could cripple its business. The company already suspended the construction on a $2.6 billion theme park that it was building in Shenyang due to a series of regulatory probes it faced.