"Sunset or Sunrise?" National Police Agency Apologizes Over Dokdo Photo Controversy

Professor Seo Kyungduk Raises Issue: "Not Sunrise, but Sunset"
National Police Agency Apologizes: "Sorry for the Confusion... Will Be More Careful with Content"

On the first day of the new year, a sunrise photo of Dokdo posted on the official social media of the National Police Agency of the Republic of Korea sparked criticism that the actual time and content of the photo did not match its description. After Professor Seo Kyungduk of Sungshin Women's University raised the issue and the controversy spread, the National Police Agency deleted the post and issued an apology.

Sunrise photo of Dokdo posted on the official SNS of the National Police Agency. Professor Seo Kyungduk

On January 2, Professor Seo Kyungduk stated on his Instagram that "six photos were posted on the official social media account of the National Police Agency with the caption 'The first sunrise of 2026 from Dokdo,' but some of the photos appear to be sunsets rather than sunrises."

According to Professor Seo, the first and fourth photos included in the post appear to be sunset photos, based on the position and color of the sun, rather than sunrise. He also pointed out that the second photo does not show any snow, which is inconsistent with the heavy snowfall that occurred around Dokdo on the first day of the new year, making it unlikely that the photo was taken recently.

He stated, "This is deceiving the people of the Republic of Korea," and emphasized, "The National Police Agency should correct the post as soon as possible." He added, "Do not blame the agency managing the social media account for this mistake, but instead reflect on your own failure to supervise and manage it properly."

He also mentioned a similar case in the past. In 2020, a government agency posted a photo with the caption 'Sun rising over Dokdo' on its official social media, but it was later revealed that the island in the photo was not actually Dokdo, which caused controversy.

Professor Seo emphasized, "As Japan continues to make unfounded claims that Dokdo is its territory, our government agencies must be even more cautious when handling matters related to Dokdo."

Apology posted on the official social media of the National Police Agency. National Police Agency Instagram

As the controversy spread, the National Police Agency removed the post and issued an apology. In the apology, the National Police Agency stated, "To mark the new year of 2026, we wanted to encourage everyone to make a strong start with the image of the sun blazing over Dokdo," and added, "We apologize to the public for posting photos that may have caused confusion in the process." The agency further stated, "We will be more cautious in producing social media content."