The Rising Sun flag appeared in the Netflix original "The Umbrella Academy" Season 3, which was released on the 22nd of last month. [Photo by Seokyungdeok, Professor at Sungshin Women's University, Facebook capture]
[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] A controversy has arisen over the appearance of the Rising Sun flag pattern in a popular drama on the online video service (OTT) Netflix. Professor Seokyungdeok from Sungshin Women's University sent a protest email, followed by the cyber diplomatic mission VANK launching a campaign demanding deletion and correction.
Recently, VANK (Voluntary Agency Network of Korea) released a poster on its official blog demanding the removal of the drama featuring the Rising Sun flag that was broadcast on Netflix.
According to VANK, the Rising Sun flag appeared in Season 3 of the Netflix original series "The Umbrella Academy," released on the 22nd of last month, spreading worldwide. The Umbrella Academy is a series popular globally, including in South Korea, with seasons ongoing since 2019.
VANK pointed out that the Rising Sun flag, a war crime flag that justifies Japanese imperialist invasion wars, appears in several episodes of this drama. It explained that the interior door decorations in the drama feature the Rising Sun flag pattern along with Japanese genre paintings. VANK criticized, "This is a crime that advocates invasion wars," adding, "Just as the Nazi swastika represents extreme totalitarian fascism to Europeans, the Rising Sun flag symbolizes fascism to Asians." They insisted, "It must be removed from the drama."
They especially emphasized that Netflix is a globally influential OTT provider. They explained that it is necessary to prevent Netflix from becoming a global laundering channel for Japanese historical distortion. Through an international petition, VANK stated, "Even though Netflix is aware of Koreans' anger toward the Rising Sun flag, if it does not correct the pattern in the drama reflecting the Rising Sun flag, it can only be seen as an act of endorsing invasion crimes." They strongly criticized, "Netflix, which earns enormous profits from Korean content such as 'Squid Game' and 'Hellbound,' shows indifference to Korean wounds and rather spreads those wounds."
The cyber diplomacy group VANK released a poster demanding Netflix to remove dramas that display the Rising Sun flag through their official blog. [Photo by VANK Official Blog Capture]
Earlier, Professor Seokyungdeok also protested regarding this issue. On the 30th of last month, he stated on Facebook, "In the protest email sent today, I emphasized that 'Japan's Rising Sun flag is a war crime flag with the same meaning as Germany's swastika,' and attached an English video related to the Rising Sun flag. I strongly requested the prompt deletion or replacement of scenes featuring the Rising Sun flag to avoid causing further wounds to Asians."
Meanwhile, controversy also arose over the inclusion of the Rising Sun flag pattern in the world tour poster of the famous American pop band Maroon 5, who are scheduled to visit Korea in November. Currently, the Rising Sun flag pattern has been removed from the poster and replaced with black-and-white photos of Maroon 5 members. Regarding this, Professor Seokyungdeok said on Instagram on the 7th, "All of this is thanks to our netizens," adding, "Although the lack of an official apology is somewhat disappointing, this case can still serve as a good precedent for the 'Worldwide Campaign to Eradicate the Rising Sun Flag.'"
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