The Rising Sun flag controversy erupted even before the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North and Central America began.
On the 26th, Seo Kyoung-Duk, a professor at Sungshin Women’s University, said a Mexican YouTuber who posts soccer-related videos showed the Rising Sun flag several times in a video introducing participating teams.
Seo’s team said a Korean expatriate in Mexico reported the video. They added that the clip has surpassed 1.3 million views and more than 10,000 likes, and they are concerned about its wide circulation.
The World Cup draws global attention, and the use of the Rising Sun flag at the tournament is more common than many realize. At the previous World Cup in Qatar, a large billboard in downtown Doha displayed images of Japanese fans with the Rising Sun flag superimposed on their faces.
Seo said these incidents occur because people unfamiliar with the flag’s historical connotations mistake it for a symbol representing Japan. He urged that responsibility should not fall solely on the foreigners who produced the video or placed the ads, and called for greater efforts to eliminate the Rising Sun flag, which evokes the traumas of war for many Asians. He pledged to continue a global campaign, together with internet users worldwide, to eradicate the flag’s public use.
Reporter Oh Hae-won
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