The problem started with the concert poster
The American pop group Maroon 5 is under fire in South Korea for a poster design ahead of his planned trip to the country in November.
The Grammy-winning group announced their world tour schedule last Saturday, which includes a concert in Seoul scheduled for November 30.
The band posted a poster on their website with a sketch, which is reminiscent of the Rising Sun Flag associated with imperialist Japan a century ago.
The flag, which depicts sunlight spreading from Japan’s national flag design, reminds many Koreans of Japan’s wartime atrocities and history of colonial rule.
The Japanese navy used the controversial flag in the early 20th century when Japan colonized Korea, Taiwan and parts of China.
Maroon 5 caused similar controversy when they used the flag in the music video for their 2012 hit “One More Night.”
“The rising sun flag can be compared to the Nazi swastika. Some foreign groups or organizations use the flag without a deep understanding of its significance. Therefore, they mostly withdraw it when we protest,” Park Ji-tae, head of the Voluntary Organizations Network for Korea, told Korean media.
“However, Maroon 5 knew its negative effects on Asians, including South Koreans, thanks to past experiences. I don’t know why the band uses her again. We will take various steps to get the group to remove the flag from its website.” he said.
VANK is a non-governmental entity that requests foreign websites or services to correct incorrect data about Korea.
RES-EMP
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