On Liberation Day, "Kimigayo"? KBS Broadcasts Opera Set in Japan Background

'KBS Commentary Booth' Schedules Butterfly Lady
Critical Responses Pour In Following Viewer Petition

As soon as it became the 79th Liberation Day on the 15th, the Japanese national anthem Kimigayo played on the public broadcaster KBS 1TV, and women wearing kimonos appeared in large numbers.

Photo by KBS broadcast screen capture

On that day, KBS broadcast the opera "Madama Butterfly," set in Japan, through the cultural arts program 'KBS Joonggyeseok.' It was a recorded performance staged at the Seoul Arts Center in June.

The opera Madama Butterfly is based on the novel "Madame Chrysanthemum" published in 1887 by the French pessimistic writer Pierre Loti. It tells the tragic love story of a young geisha named Cho-cho-san and American naval lieutenant Pinkerton, set in Nagasaki, Japan, in the early 1900s when the United States forced Japan to open its ports. Since it is set in Japan, the female cast wears kimonos, and especially during the wedding scene, Kimigayo is played.

Viewers were outraged that a work with strong Japanese elements was broadcast on a public broadcaster on Liberation Day. On the KBS viewer bulletin board, comments such as "Why is Kimigayo and kimono shown on a public broadcaster on Liberation Day?", "Is this JBS, not KBS?", and "I don't want to pay the license fee to such a broadcaster" have been pouring in.

One netizen even posted on the KBS viewer petition, saying, "Broadcasting kimono on Liberation Day is really crazy." The author questioned, "Is this programming done in a sane mind?" and said, "It is shocking and infuriating." The petition received 1,827 signatures in less than half a day. According to KBS viewer petition rules, if a petition receives 1,000 signatures within 30 days after posting, the relevant KBS department must respond.

KBS plans to rebroadcast Madama Butterfly, so the controversy is expected to grow. According to the current schedule, KBS will broadcast Madama Butterfly again from midnight on the 16th.

KBS defined 'KBS Joonggyeseok' as a program that contributes to popularizing high culture by recording performances and events across all cultural and artistic fields, broadcasting them with commentary and interviews with performers.