Of All Days, 'Jieitai' Appears Vertically in Ceremony Slogan on March 1st Movement Anniversary

Spreading Across Online Communities as a "Vertical Reading Meme"

The slogan displayed at the ceremony commemorating the 105th anniversary of the March 1st Movement, attended by President Yoon Sukyeol, has unexpectedly become the subject of controversy.

On March 1, President Yoon attended the March 1st Movement anniversary ceremony held at the Yu Gwan-sun Memorial Hall in Jung-gu, Seoul, and delivered a congratulatory speech. In his address, President Yoon stated, "The March 1st Movement marked the beginning of various forms of independence movements both domestically and abroad," and added, "I believe that the value of every independence movement deserves proper recognition, and that this history must be passed down correctly from generation to generation."

President Yoon Sukyeol is delivering a congratulatory speech at the 105th anniversary of the March 1st Movement ceremony. The word "Self-Defense Forces" can be seen on the theme banner behind the podium. Photo by Yonhap News

Behind the podium where President Yoon stood, the main theme of the ceremony, "The Great Journey Toward Freedom, Long Live the Republic of Korea," was written in large letters. The issue arose because the phrase was split into three lines, with the first character of each line-'Ja' from 'Freedom' (Jayu), 'Wi' from 'Great' (Widae), and 'Dae' from 'Republic of Korea' (Daehanminguk)-spelling out 'Jawi-dae' vertically. 'Jieitai' refers to Japan's quasi-military organization operated by the Ministry of Defense.

As a result, photos from the ceremony are rapidly spreading across various online communities under the title "Vertical Reading Meme." Some internet users are suspicious, questioning whether this was done intentionally, while others counter that such claims are unfounded and unreasonable. They argue that if the organizers had anticipated any controversy, they would not have arranged the phrase in a way that would display the word "Jieitai."

However, many internet users criticized the organizers for their carelessness, pointing out that allowing the word "Jieitai" to appear in the ceremony slogan on the March 1st Movement anniversary, of all days, was inappropriate.

Those who saw the photo commented, "Even if it wasn't intentional, things like this should have been screened in advance," "It might be a stretch, but the word 'Jieitai' really stands out and feels unsettling," "I thought it was just a coincidence, but of all words, it had to be 'Jieitai'," while others reacted, "It's impressive that someone even thought to read it vertically."