▲ Distinct Asset, a marketing company that made Oscar gift bags


As actor Yoon Yeo-jeong received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, interest is drawing on the gift bag that an American marketing company offered to deliver to the Oscar winners and nominees.



According to the US media Forbes and New York Times (NYT) on the 27th (local time), Los Angeles (LA) marketing company'Distinctive Asset' will give it to 25 people, including Oscar actor and director award nominees. ).



This gift bag has nothing to do with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences hosting the Oscars.



Distinct Asset is a collection of products from companies that want to promote their products by taking advantage of the fame of Oscar stars and made them into gift bags.



Named'everyone's winner', this gift bag included a resort lodging voucher, liposuction vouchers, alcoholic beverages, snacks, card games, and other miscellaneous products.



It also contains a variety of cannabis-based products legalized in the state of California.



These include hemp solution cartridges coated with 24-carat gold leaf, sleep inducers mixed with diluted hemp solution and melatonin, and hemp-based plasters.



Hollotips, a company that provided hemp solution cartridges, released data on the 24th, ahead of the Oscars, and promoted the inclusion of its products in a gift bag.



"In recent years, Oscar gift bags have become a hot topic for cannabis gifts," Forbes said. "This year was no exception."




Distinct Asset Founder Lash Parry said, "I hope it feels more purposeful than a bag full of free stuff," he said. "We want it to feel like it's more purposeful than a bag full of free stuff."



It is said to be sent to the Oscar candidate's home or accommodation through the American delivery service'Postmate'.



However, unlike the company's description of'free', gift bags are not free.



The gift bag, reported by U.S. media outlets, is valued at $205,000 (200 million won) and is taxed by the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS), classifying it as celebrity income.



If you don't want to, and accept a unilateral gift bag, it can be a burden for the Oscar winners and nominees to pay a large amount of tax.



Forbes analyzed that fifty percent, including federal and state taxes, should be paid as taxes.



Known to be worth more than 200 million won, it means that you have to pay 100 million won in tax if you receive this bag.



If they choose to receive a gift bag, the recipient must fill out a tax return, otherwise they may be subject to dunning bills and penalties.



"Gift items are not completely free, and Oscar candidates may refuse to accept the gift," NYT said.



It is unclear whether the distinct asset delivered the bag to director Yoon Yeo-jung, Steven Yeon, and Lee A-jak Jeong (Korean name Jeong Isaac) who were nominated for the Oscar for the movie'Minari'.



Moreover, it is a reasonable observation that Yoon Yeo-jung does not seem to have any reason to receive a marketing gift bag that includes hemp products.



Earlier, the Academy received sponsorship from the company in 2001 to distribute gift bags to candidates and winners, but after an investigation by the U.S. tax authorities, they completely eliminated it in 2006.



Subsequently, the Distinct Asset was promoted by promoting it as an Oscar bag, and the Academy filed a lawsuit in 2016 to clarify that the company had nothing to do with Oscar.



At the time of the lawsuit, the Academy pointed out that the company used marijuana inhalers and various sensational products to damage the Oscar image.



Distinct Assets has created a backstory this year by putting inappropriate products in gift bags.



To commemorate the Hollywood star Chadwick Bozeman, who died last year, the company put a block-chain technology-applied NFT (Non-Replaceable Token) work on the gift list.



However, it was a crude image that did not resemble Bozeman, and was criticized for commercializing the deceased.



It was also controversial that Bozeman's award for Best Actor was established and the NFT was prematurely created.



This year's Best Actor Award went to Anthony Hopkins, not Bozeman.



In the end, the author of the Bozeman NFT issued an apology and offered to recreate the work.



(Photo = Distinct Asset Twitter capture, Yonhap News)