Saenuri Party candidate Min Kyung-ja has sparked fury among Korean netizens this week for using a graphical motif strongly resembling the Japanese Rising Sun Flag on her campaign business card. The flag (which is potentially very offensive in the eyes of many Koreans) is a painful reminder of the Japanese occupation during the first half of the 20th century. This will come as an embarrassment for the renamed conservative Saenuri Party (known as the Grand National Party until February 2012), as the former leader of the party was Park Geun-hye (daughter of former President Park Chung-hee who was trained as a military officer in Japan) considered to be favorite to win next year’s presidential election. Netizens were quick to question her motivations for using such a flag with some labeling it as a revealing pro-Japanese statement.
From The Financial News:
Business card of Saenuri Party candidate Min Kyung-ja bearing Rising Sun flag proves ‘controversial’
Saenuri Party contender Min Kyung-ja has sparked controversy among netizens, for including the design of the Japanese Rising Sun flag on her business card.
While the front of candidate Min’s business card includes her name and career experience inscribed with the party’s symbol, the back of the card uses as background a design symbolizing the Japanese Rising Sun flag.
Today the Rising Sun flag is a symbol that represents both Japan’s militarism and Self-Defence Forces. However, Min’s camp is using a design similar in both shape and color to that of the Rising Sun flag.
Reacting to candidate Min’s business card, netizens accused her saying “what on earth were you thinking?…shouldn’t you recognize straight away what that design means?”, “are there no other politicians out there?”, another adding “I wonder what her intentions were. In any case, she succeeded in standing out.”
However, some netizens also argued over the authenticity of the business card. They responded by saying that “we don’t know whether this was a montage until we know for sure what her exact point-of-view is”, and “to say that it unconditionally IS the flag just because the shape and colors resemble it is somewhat far-fetched.”
In the meanwhile, because of the continual controversy on candidate Min’s side, an official told through a press release that “the shape that shows a rising sun is nothing more than a symbol to emphasize the #1 sign.”
Candidate Min said that “all my life I have lived committed to the natural security of our nation, and I would rather produce words ahead of the nominations than thieve the Rising Sun flag and be pro-Japanese, and anyone can see this is nothing but slander,” adding that “with the party [already] being in difficulty, I decided to serve the party and the people with a spirit of gratitude for the sake of our country, thus running for election; but suffering from this kind of childish slander is somewhat sad and pitiful.”
Furthermore, she asked to “please not use the business card, which was designed by a young lady a little over thirty who has a heart of gold, politically.”
Comments from Nate:
김광석:
They cannot hide their [pro-Japanese] roots
이형희:
Those people have always been pro-Japanese~~~ Park Geun-hye’s father too was pro-Japanese~~
김영관:
Her photo and name were published in this article ke ke ke Saenuri Party’s political candidate Min Kyung-ja [some websites and newspapers opted to blur her face and name]
김주영:
Shouldn’t the sign be used for Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party?
최우람:
amazing…a right wing party that is in fact a pro-Japanese New Right movement
이성재:
Am I mistaken to say that it is clear her roots are pro-Japanese?
김영복:
People say they will change their policies – what’s happened to that? A pro-Japanese party right down to the bone…ke ke ke
Comments from Daum:
희망찬세상:
Which one of the two is it~ a person who has an ignorant view of history and doesn’t know what the Rising Sun flag is? Or is she a person who holds values that take pro-Japanese activities for granted? I’d say she’s an ignoramus who clearly doesn’t even know what the flag means, even though she got her Ph.D. from Chungnam National University ~~ doesn’t this [business card] just show the roots of the Saenuri Party?~ huh
김하늘:
So now we come face to face with a pro-Japanese? If you were abroad, you’d think this is a Japanese election…..
파란꿈:
I knew from the start that the Saenuri Party liked Japan as well as the States, but this confirms the extent to which they love them – I’m gravely offended…. ㅠㅠ Like the people around me, there shouldn’t be a single person who casts a vote for those scumbags
바람:
It’s their identity – she applied to the right place
리타와 삼순이네:
Needn’t say it but… it’s the Saenuri Party, so what did you expect?
