In the interrogation room, asked, "What did you do in Korea?"
"It's not just about beauty, but about empathy for the spirit and history"
YouTuber Swegukin's tattoo of the Mugunghwa flower and the Taegeukgi flag on his elbow. Swegukin YouTube
A Swedish YouTuber shared an episode in which he was interrogated at a Japanese airport because of his Taegeukgi tattoo.
On July 1, the YouTuber 'Swegukin' uploaded a video titled "The reason I was subjected to racist remarks and an investigation at a Japanese airport because of my Taegeukgi tattoo." In the video, he began by saying, "I want to talk about something that happened at a Japanese airport that I will never forget for the rest of my life, and it was quite shocking."
He explained that last year, in his seventh year living in Korea, he traveled to Japan for a week-long vacation. When he handed over his passport for immigration inspection, an airport staff member noticed the Mugunghwa and Taegeukgi tattoos on his arm and, with a stern expression, asked, "What kind of tattoo is this?"
Swegukin said, "I spoke in really bad English. I'll be 100% honest. I told them, 'After seven years in Korea, the people I met, the culture I experienced, the affection I received, and how deeply I came to love Korea as a country?I wanted to engrave all of that on my body forever, and that's why I got this tattoo.'"
He continued, "With a voice so cold and frightening that I couldn't have imagined, they asked, 'Why would a foreigner get a tattoo of a Korean symbol?' I have never doubted my own ears in my life, but at that moment, I did. Why me? Did I do something wrong? I'm not pretending to be Korean, it's not a political slogan, and it's simply a symbol of a country I love," he said, expressing his frustration.
Afterward, he was taken by staff to a security interview room. He recounted, "The staff looked at my tattoo very strangely, pointed at it, and asked questions like, 'Who recommended this to you?', 'What did you do in Korea?', and 'Why did you get the Taegeukgi and Mugunghwa tattooed there?'"
Looking at the Japanese staff, he explained again, "The Taegeukgi and Mugunghwa are not just simple designs. The tattoo represents the time I spent in Korea, the warmth I felt there, and my feelings for that country." As soon as he finished speaking, the staff quickly checked his passport again and said, "You may enter."
He said, "What I absolutely don't understand is that it just ended like that. There was no apology, no explanation. They just wrapped it up that way," and added, "Throughout my trip, I kept feeling so upset about the situation, and for the first time, I really wondered if I shouldn't have gotten the tattoo."
Finally, he stated, "The reason I have the Mugunghwa tattooed on my body and display the Taegeukgi with pride is not just because the patterns are beautiful, but because I sympathize with the spirit, history, and symbolism they contain."
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