Japan's National Anthem "Kimigayo" Played...
President Lee, as Then Opposition Leader, Denounced It as "Subservient Diplomacy"
On the afternoon of the 3rd, the Embassy of Japan in Korea held a birthday celebration for Emperor Naruhito (February 23) at a five-star hotel in Yeouido, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. Some civic groups opposed the fact that an event celebrating the Emperor's birthday was being held in Korea, demanding an "apology for historical wrongs."
Koichi Mizushima, Ambassador of Japan to Korea, who presided over the event, was reported to have praised the resumption of "shuttle diplomacy" between Korea and Japan in his congratulatory remarks and emphasized bilateral cooperation. In addition, after showing a video of the family of Emperor Naruhito, Japan's national anthem "Kimigayo" was played. Japanese alcoholic beverages, seafood, and other products were also prepared for the guests.
In the past, "Kimigayo" was not played at events in Korea, but since around 2023, amid the improvement in Korea-Japan relations under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration, the national anthems of both countries have been played together every year. President Lee Jaemyung, when he was then leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, criticized the playing of "Kimigayo" at an Emperor's birthday reception as "a humiliating scene symbolizing the Yoon Suk Yeol administration's subservient diplomacy toward Japan," adding that "it feels like the Japanese colonial era before liberation in 1945."
From the Korean government, First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoonju attended the event and delivered congratulatory remarks. Business leaders such as Sohn Kyungshik, Chairman of the Korea Employers Federation (and Chairman of CJ Group), Kim Yoon, Chairman of Samyang Holdings (and President of the Korea-Japan Economic Association), and Chung Mongjoon, Chairman of the Asan Foundation, were also present. James Heller, Charg? d'affaires ad interim at the U.S. Embassy in Korea, was also reported to have attended.
Japan holds celebratory events every year at its overseas missions around the world to mark the Emperor's birthday. This year in particular, marking the 15th anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake, materials showing the reconstruction of Fukushima Prefecture were reportedly exhibited. While Korea currently bans imports of seafood from Fukushima, the possibility of easing these import restrictions is being raised as it considers joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), led by Japan.
On the 3rd, near a hotel in Yeouido, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul where a ceremony celebrating the Emperor's birthday, hosted by the Embassy of Japan in Korea, took place, members of civic groups are staging a protest condemning the ceremony. Hwalbindan, Haengdonghaneun Aegukdan, and Narasarang Mugunghwagi Seonyanghoe
Meanwhile, near the hotel where the event was held, some civic groups staged a protest condemning the event. Representatives of civic groups such as Hwalbindan, Haengdonghaneun Aegukdan, and Narasarang Mugunghwagi Seonyanghoe criticized the event, saying, "Holding an event in the heart of Seoul, the capital of the Republic of Korea, to honor the Emperor's birthday without settling historical issues and offering genuine reflection is an arrogant act that goes against public sentiment," and expressed their regret.
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