"100 Years Ahead of BLACKPINK and BTS"... Who Is the 'Hallyu Star'?

On the 15th, marking the 77th anniversary of Liberation Day, the cyber diplomatic mission VANK posted a poster containing the phrase, "Although the era and circumstances are different, the Uibyeong are also Hallyu stars in our history."
[Photo by VANK Facebook capture]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] On the 15th, marking the 77th anniversary of Liberation Day, the cyber diplomatic mission VANK highlighted the activities of the righteous armies who fought against the Japanese military in the past.

On the 13th, VANK posted a poster on Facebook with the phrase, "Although the era and circumstances are different, the righteous armies are also Hallyu stars in our history."

VANK stated that the poster embodies the spirit and courage of the ancestors who strongly resisted Japanese imperialism.

Notably, the poster draws a comparison between the Korean righteous armies who fought the Japanese military with bare hands against their force and atrocities, and the Hallyu star group BLACKPINK.

VANK said, "In June, the famous American magazine Rolling Stone selected BLACKPINK as a cover model and described them as 'one of the most popular artists produced by Korea.'"

They also mentioned past foreign media coverage introducing the Korean righteous armies. According to VANK, after the Eulsa Treaty in 1905, the English edition of the Daehan Maeil Sinbo, 'Korea Daily News,' published photos and interview articles of the righteous armies fighting against the Japanese imperialist army.

Among the roughly 10 righteous army members featured in the article, one wore a military uniform, but the others were dressed in old and worn hanbok. Additionally, most of the weapons they carried were in poor condition.

Despite these harsh conditions, the righteous armies were not afraid of the Japanese military. Frederick Arthur McKenzie, a British journalist covering the righteous army activities at the time, asked, "Do you think you can defeat the Japanese Empire?" One righteous army member replied, "I know it is difficult to win," but added, "However, it is much better to die a free person than to live as a slave of Japan."

McKenzie recorded, "The Korean righteous armies were people who were already certain to die in a war with no hope of victory," but he also noted, "I saw the bright eyes and confident smiles of some righteous army members, and at that moment, I realized that my pity might have been mistaken. They were at least showing their compatriots what patriotism means."

VANK said, "Because of the Korean righteous armies, today's development, prosperity, and the Hallyu wave that has shaken the world were possible," and added, "The ancestors who risked their lives to protect the country are the true Hallyu stars of our history."

Currently, VANK is conducting a campaign to discover hidden Hallyu stars in history. On the 8th, VANK independently selected the Hague Special Envoys as the 'No. 1 Hallyu star' in history. VANK emphasized, "We will discover hidden Hallyu stars in Korea's 5,000-year history and promote Korea's history and culture to the world."