South Korea’s floriculture industry is reeling after the nation’s largest broadcasters controversially replaced traditional floral arrangements with plastic toy bouquets during a high-profile, televised awards ceremony. The incident, which occurred when comedian and host Yoo Jae Suk accepted his record-breaking Grand Prize at the 2025 MBC Entertainment Awards on December 29, has sparked a heated debate over sustainability, tradition, and the economic survival of local flower growers.
While the Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) likely intended the shift to durable, reusable LEGO bouquets as an environmentally conscious gesture, the decision has drawn fierce condemnation from organizations representing flower farmers and sellers who argue the move devalues real flowers and threatens their already precarious livelihoods.
Floriculture Industry Condemns Symbolic Replacement
The Korea Florists Association swiftly issued a stern denouncement on January 10, asserting that MBC’s choice risks positioning fresh flowers as expendable or inefficient luxuries in the public eye. This shift in perception comes at a potentially devastating time for the sector, which has faced a decades-long struggle. According to 2023 figures, the number of floriculture farms operating in South Korea has dropped to approximately 7,100, a nearly 50% reduction from the 13,500 recorded in 2001.
“The use of toy flower bouquets has inflicted yet another wound on flower farmers and florists who are already suffering due to economic slowdown and reduced consumer spending,” the association stated. The organization emphasized that over 20,000 small flower shop owners rely on events like major awards shows to normalize and promote the consumption of real flowers, aligning with government initiatives aimed at fostering everyday floral culture.
The controversy gains additional traction due to its high visibility. MBC is one of South Korea’s three major terrestrial networks, and its year-end ceremonies are among the most watched television events. The presence of highly influential figures like Yoo Jae Suk holding the alternative bouquets amplified the symbolic change, setting a potentially damaging precedent for future corporate and broadcast events.
Complicating the Sustainability Argument
MBC’s rationale appears centered on environmental benefits—namely, the elimination of waste and the reusability of LEGO products. However, the sustainability of plastic flowers is complex. While LEGO utilizes some bio-polyethylene, which is derived from Brazilian sugarcane, for its botanical elements, the material is not biodegradable. Critics warn that the indefinite durability touted as a benefit also means these plastic items contribute permanently to accumulation in landfills and potentially break down into harmful microplastics.
Conversely, the floriculture industry contends that real flowers offer intrinsic environmental value. They support local, biodiverse agricultural ecosystems, are fully biodegradable, and their cultivation actively captures carbon dioxide. Promoting domestic flower production, the industry argues, reinforces local food security and rural economies—benefits that align more accurately with national sustainability goals than imported plastic alternatives.
Policy and Economic Headwinds
The incident places policymakers in an awkward position, given the government’s active efforts to revive the domestic flower market. Initiatives like the “Flower Road” project seek to boost tourism and support growers through public floral displays. These efforts are intended to counteract the industry’s decline, which has been accelerated by an aging workforce and increasing import competition that now accounts for roughly 30% of the market. Korean growers often struggle against imported roses and lilies from countries like the Netherlands and Colombia, which consumers perceive as having better vase life at competitive prices.
The Korea Florists Association called upon broadcasters and event organizers to immediately reconsider such decisions, fearing that highly publicized cultural moments featuring toy replacements undermine the collective efforts to revitalize the sector.
The controversy highlights a growing tension between perceived innovation and tradition, pitting individual corporate sustainability choices against the collective economic impact on a struggling domestic sector. Industry observers suggest that future compromises could involve using locally grown, seasonal potted plants or flowers combined with robust event composting programs, offering a path that respects both environmental goals and the crucial roles of local growers.