Democratic Party Gyeongnam Provincial Party “Extension of Submissive Diplomacy Toward Japan”
The Gyeongnam Shooting Federation issued a clarification after controversy arose over a photo of an athlete used in the official promotional materials for the 5th Changwon Mayor’s Cup National Shooting Competition, which was said to resemble the Japanese national flag and the Rising Sun flag.
According to Changwon City and the City Council on the 24th, 35 banners and banner flags to announce the Changwon Mayor’s Cup National Shooting Competition were installed at the shooting range and nearby roads on the 23rd.
The banners featured a photo of an athlete holding an air rifle, where the athlete’s ear protection showed the Japanese national flag, and the athlete was wearing a uniform with vivid red stripes.
The athlete in the photo was identified as Yukie Nakayama from Japan.
Changwon City and the Gyeongnam Shooting Federation immediately removed the banners and banner flags, but criticism continued.
The Gyeongnam Provincial Party of the Democratic Party of Korea issued a statement criticizing, “Is it reasonable to feature a Japanese shooting athlete wearing a uniform with a pattern reminiscent of the Japanese Imperial Rising Sun flag and the Japanese national flag on the ear protection while promoting a national competition?”
They called it “an extension of pro-Japanese submissive diplomacy” and demanded a thorough investigation, identification of those responsible, and disciplinary action.
The Gyeongnam Shooting Federation explained in a statement, “We requested an advertising agency to produce the banners for promotional purposes, and the federation reviewed the draft, but since the draft image was small, we did not notice any distinctive features such as the athlete’s nationality.”
“During the process of posting the banners, we saw the enlarged image and noticed the overlooked parts, so we immediately removed the banners and requested design corrections.”
They added, “We acknowledge that the banners with errors were posted briefly due to insufficient prior inspection, but this was a simple mistake with no social or political considerations beyond the original purpose of promoting the shooting competition. We ask that the federation not be used for political purposes.”
Changwon City stated, “We only provided subsidies related to this competition, and all event operations and preparations were handled by the federation. We did not see the banner drafts in advance.”
The city plans to decide on whether to conduct a fact-finding investigation through further discussions.
The competition, hosted by Changwon City and organized by the Gyeongnam Shooting Federation, will be held from March 29 to April 4 to commemorate the 42nd World Shooting Championships and to promote the development of shooting sports.
The 2023-2024 national team level and international competition dispatch player selection will also take place.
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