Apartment in Sejong City Displaying 'Rising Sun Flag' on March 1st... Local Community in Uproar

"Mind Your Own Privacy" Demolition Refusal
Cannot Confirm Whether Person Is Japanese

On March 1st, a day commemorating the March 1st Movement, a controversy arose as a Japanese Rising Sun flag, not the Taegeukgi, was hung on the balcony of an apartment in Sejong City.

On the afternoon of March 1st, Samiljeol, a Japanese flag is hanging on the balcony of an apartment in Sejong City. / Yonhap News

According to internet communities in Sejong City and the apartment management office on the 1st, a Japanese Rising Sun flag was displayed on the balcony of an apartment located in Hansol-dong that morning.

The management office received a flood of complaints and inquiries from residents. After receiving reports, the management office visited the household twice but was unable to meet the resident. Sejong City authorities also began investigating the situation, but without concrete evidence, they could not enforce removal and had no choice but to repeatedly request voluntary removal.

The homeowner reportedly refused the collection requests from residents, local government, and police, stating, "This is my private life, so do not interfere."

On March 1st, a resident is taking a photo with a mobile phone of a Rising Sun Flag hanging on the balcony of an apartment complex in Sejong City. / Yonhap News

A post claiming to have met the household members was also uploaded on a local community site. The author wrote, "After seeing posts and articles on the community, my husband got angry and went to confront them. When he shouted loudly for them to come outside, the couple came down to the first floor," adding, "The couple immediately said things like 'Joseonjing' (a derogatory term for Koreans), 'We earn more money and pay more property tax,' and 'You live off our taxes.' It was chilling to see such behavior on March 1st. I think they will hang the Rising Sun flag on Liberation Day."

The management office stated, "We do not know if the resident is Korean or Japanese, but the resident registry in the management office lists a Korean name."