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On Thursday, August 15, several K-pop idols, Korean celebrities, and companies were embroiled in controversy during Korea's National Liberation Day. The day marks the date when Korea gained independence from Japanese rule in 1945. Given the long history of Korea's colonization by Japan, it stands as an extremely sensitive topic.
Therefore, citizens and netizens are usually careful not to hurt the sentiments of Koreans or the nation, in general, on this day. Regardless, more than a handful of K-pop idols were criticized for their alleged inappropriate actions during Korea's National Liberation Day. Some of these actions included posting content related to Japanese culture, using the Japanese language, and more.
One of the popular and renowned broadcasting systems of South Korea, KBS, was also involved in a controversy over the release of inappropriate content on this day. The company was criticized for several events, such as wrongly depicting the South Korean flag, broadcasting a famous Japan-based opera show called Madama Butterfly, and more.
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From TXT's Yeonjun to KBS: Everyone who was criticized for their actions on Korea's National Liberation Day
1) TXT's Yeonjun
On August 15, TXT's Yeonjun posted pictures on his Instagram account, @yawnzzn. While the pictures looked normal, netizens soon realized that the photos were taken during TXT's recent schedules in Japan. Though the pictures were deleted immediately, the idol still garnered a lot of criticism for not being mindful of the day's significance.
Soon, the idol released an apology statement through his Instagram story.
"I failed to respect the historical significance and meaning of Liberation Day and showed carelessness by uploading photos. I apologize to everyone who was hurt by my inappropriate actions. I will reflect on my shortcomings and be more cautious to ensure that such incidents do not occur in the future," he wrote.
2) Stray Kids' Felix
Another idol who was criticized for his content on Korea's National Liberation Day was Stray Kids' Felix. The idol participated in a Japanese anime challenge called Shikonoko. While this trend usually involves people dancing to the anime audio, the idol sang the song and uploaded it on his Bubble account.
However, netizens were not happy with the idol releasing Japanese-related content on Korea's National Liberation Day. The idol soon apologized for his actions and expressed his regret through a statement released on Stray Kids' official page under JYP Entertainment's website.
"I sincerely apologize for my lack of consideration and carelessness on such a meaningful day as Korea’s National Liberation Day. I am reflecting deeply on my lack of historical awareness," he wrote.
3) WEI's Junseo
Junseo was also criticized for his actions during his conversation with fans on August 15 through the Bubble fan community platform. The idol replied to a fan's previous question about what he would like to do when he comes to Japan. While the question was asked at an earlier date, the idol's reply to the question on Korea's National Liberation Day sparked controversies.
In translation, the X post says,
"Even Wei Junseo answers Korean questions in Japanese."
Additionally, he replied to the question in Japanese, which further angered many netizens. However, he soon followed these messages with an apology message on his Bubble account.
"I apologize to the fans and to everyone that was hurt by my carelessness. I used Japanese to reply through a fan community app on Korea’s meaningful liberation day. Currently, I have sent a request to the app to delete the reply. I will study harder in the areas that I lack in and make sure that something like this will not happen again," he said.
4) NCT's Jaemin
The last K-pop idol embroiled in controversies related to Korea's National Liberation Day is NCT's Jaemin. On August 15, the idol uploaded a Weverse post where he wrote, "Just Arrived" in Japanese. Jaemin referred to him and his fellow NCT DREAM members arriving in Tokyo, Japan, for their upcoming performance at Summer Sonic 2024. However, he soon deleted the post.
5) KBS (Korean Broadcasting System)
The Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) was criticized for a series of inappropriate content and actions on Korea's National Liberation Day. The company initially broadcasted the Korean flag upside down. It also broadcasted Madama Butterfly, an opera show that showcases the tragic love story between an American man and a Japanese woman.
In translation, the X post says,
"KBS broadcasts Taegeukgi upside down on Liberation Day."
The show is famous among the Japanese audience, but Korean netizens were not happy about its broadcast on August 15. KBS explained that the broadcast was initially scheduled for July but was postponed due to the Olympics. The postponed date happened to be August 15, and they apologized for not being careful about it.
Netizens also called out the company for its logo for KBS Entertain, a subsidiary of KBS. The logo carried a stark resemblance to Henohenomoheji, a face drawing that was created using the Japanese Hiragana characters.
"We deeply apologize for causing concern on such a meaningful day because the team failed to check for problems with the broadcasting content. We will pay more attention to production, check the circumstances, and take responsibility. We have decided to replace part two of the show with a different broadcast for tonight."
While there have been a lot of controversies that landed on Korea's National Liberation Day, netizens have been settled regarding the same since the content had either been removed or was apologized for.
