Fabien Criticizes PSG: "Take Down the Rising Sun Flag, Apologize to Han"… Western Sensitivity to Nazis but Indifference to Rising Sun Flag

Fabien, a Frenchman active in broadcasting in Korea, is also known as a fan of the world-renowned football club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).
[Photo by Fabien Instagram capture]

[Asia Economy Reporter Sumi Hwang] The indiscriminate use of the Rising Sun Flag continues in Europe and other Western countries. It is used in designs on clothing and bags, and also appears in promotional videos for online streaming service (OTT) Netflix and football clubs. Some point out that the insensitive perception of the Rising Sun Flag, which symbolizes Japanese imperialism, is a problem.

On the 17th, Fabian, a Frenchman active in broadcasting in Korea, protested against a preseason Japan tour promotional video posted on YouTube by the world-renowned football club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). The video included images of the Rising Sun Flag pattern.

Fabian is known to have contacted the club directly to explain the meaning of the Rising Sun Flag and requested that it be corrected. He shared messages exchanged with the club on an online community, saying, "First, I apologize on behalf of those who were hurt after watching the recently posted Japan tour video," and added, "I immediately contacted the club after seeing the video and asked them to take it down. They said they would revise it and repost."

On the 17th, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), a world-renowned football club, featured the Rising Sun Flag, a symbol of Japanese imperialism, in a preseason Japan tour promotional video uploaded on YouTube.
[Photo by YouTube capture]

The club deleted the promotional video about two hours after posting it. Afterwards, they re-uploaded the video with the Rising Sun Flag removed. According to Fabian, the club apologized to Korean fans, saying that the meaning of the Rising Sun Flag was not known due to low awareness in Europe. Fabian added, "I hope many people in France and Europe learn from this mistake."

The Rising Sun Flag symbolizes Japanese imperialism and is a war criminal flag that justifies aggressive wars. Just as the Nazi swastika represents extreme totalitarian fascism to Europeans, the Rising Sun Flag is a symbol of fascism to Asians.

However, due to low awareness, the indiscriminate use of the Rising Sun Flag frequently occurs in Western countries. Previously, on the 22nd of last month, the Rising Sun Flag pattern appeared in the Netflix original series "The Umbrella Academy" Season 3. The pattern was depicted on the decoration of an interior door in the drama, along with a Japanese ukiyo-e painting. In response, Professor Seokyung Deok of Sungshin Women's University sent a protest email saying, "I hope the scene featuring the Rising Sun Flag will be deleted or replaced as soon as possible so as not to cause further wounds to Asians." Additionally, VANK (Voluntary Agency Network of Korea), a cyber diplomatic mission, launched a campaign requesting deletion and correction, stating, "This is a crime that endorses aggressive war."

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]

This is not the first time Netflix has faced controversy over the Rising Sun Flag. Last year, when the Rising Sun Flag appeared in the Japanese animation "Demon Slayer," Netflix corrected it in the Korean version but did not fix it in other countries, causing controversy.

Furthermore, the world tour poster of the famous American pop band Maroon 5, scheduled to visit Korea in November, also sparked controversy for including the Rising Sun Flag pattern. Currently, the Rising Sun Flag has been removed from the poster and replaced with black-and-white photos of the Maroon 5 members. Regarding this, Professor Seokyung Deok said on Instagram on the 7th, "All of this is thanks to our netizens," and added, "Although it is a bit disappointing that there was no official apology, this case can still serve as a good precedent for the 'Worldwide Rising Sun Flag Eradication Campaign.'"