A South Korean professor has said changes will be made to a proposal for a post-coronavirus office layout due to its resemblance to a swastika.

The academic, who wished to remain anonymous, told the JC that a "tweak" would be made to the layout and apologised, saying that: “I am not in your culture, so I did not realise that it could bring such a concern.”

The professor offered thoughts to The Korea Herald about how the coronavirus pandemic would reverberate through the architecture and design worlds.

The South Korean had provided a photo of an innovative desk layout that would minimise the risk of disease transmission in offices.

“The current layout can reduce face-to-face contact,” the professor explained.  

However, the four interlinked desk cubicles bear an unfortunate – and unwitting – resemblance to a swastika.

“I will see how we can visualise this idea and revise the images in the article,” the professor continued.

The resemblance was picked up online after the original Korea Herald’s article was republished in Lifestyle Inquirer.

Seeing the lighter side, one commenter wrote: “I did Nazi see that coming.”

Another noted that the design “has a very 1930s German aesthetic".