'Rising Sun Flag' Appears in Qatar Ahead of World Cup... Korean Diaspora and Netizens Remove It

Professor Seokyeongdeok: "I Will Request the FIFA World Cup Organizing Committee to Prevent Recurrence of Complaints"
Removed Following Protests by Overseas Koreans and Netizens

Photo of the Rising Sun flag face painting on the exterior wall of Lagoora Mall in Doha, Qatar. This photo has been taken down following protests from compatriots and netizens. Photo by Professor Seo Kyung-deok, Yonhap News Agency

[Asia Economy Reporter Bang Je-il] It was recently revealed that a photo of the Rising Sun Flag was displayed on the exterior wall of a famous shopping mall in Qatar, where the 2022 World Cup is being held, but was removed following protests from Korean residents and netizens. The Rising Sun Flag, a symbol of Japanese militarism, frequently appears in relation to the support of the Japanese national soccer team, causing controversy.

There is no definite information on exactly when the advertisement photo was put up or taken down. Professor Seo received a report on the removal of the advertisement on the 19th.

On the 21st, Professor Seo Kyung-deok of Sungshin Women’s University stated, "With the FIFA Qatar World Cup opening just a month away, a photo showing the Japanese supporters painting the Rising Sun Flag on their faces and cheering was displayed on the exterior wall of Lagoora Mall in the capital city, Doha."

He added, "It is currently unknown who was responsible for this advertisement. However, the bottom left corner of the photo included the website address of the Qatar World Cup Organizing Committee," and said, "Following protests from local Korean residents and netizens, the mall removed the photo, but we will file complaints with FIFA and the World Cup Organizing Committee and request measures to prevent recurrence."

He emphasized, "Recently, the Rising Sun Flag has frequently appeared at sports events, and to prevent this, a 'global campaign' must be continuously carried out."

Meanwhile, Professor Seo is actively conducting campaigns to eradicate the Rising Sun Flag. He has run critical advertisements against the Rising Sun Flag in The New York Times and released YouTube ads countering promotional videos produced by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, engaging actively both offline and online.

In particular, he has consistently sent protest emails to FIFA and the World Cup Organizing Committee regarding the Rising Sun Flag, citing examples such as the removal of Rising Sun Flag images from FIFA’s official social media during the 2018 Russia World Cup and from the official theme music video, as well as the case in 2017 when the Japanese club Kawasaki Frontale was fined $15,000 for displaying Rising Sun Flag support during the AFC Champions League qualifying match.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.