A wave of protests has spread among Adele’s fans in South Korea after she included an image of the Rising Sun flag in her concert footage.
A backdrop featuring the controversial flag was projected on an LED screen as the superstar sang “Rumor Has It” during one of her “Adele in Munich” performances in Germany.
The image has sparked backlash from Korean audiences because of its historical significance to Korea’s past.
In South Korea, which was occupied by Japan in the early to mid-1900s, the Rising Sun flag is considered a “symbol of Japanese imperialism and war crimes,” CNN reported. Koreans consider it taboo, like the swastika.
The Korean public and media were particularly horrified when the symbol appeared in Germany.
South Korean users took to social media to express their disapproval of the image the “Rolling In the Deep” hitmaker and her team put on for her concert and its lack of historical sensitivity, with translated comments expressing their anger and disappointment.
“Imagine being this clueless when it comes to world history,” wrote @EveryDayJiayou on X, formerly Twitter.
#AdeleinMunich Hello, Adele. Today’s concert in Munich was absolutely fantastic, except for one thing. During the performance of “Rumor Has It,” the Rising Sun flag appeared on the screen. This flag is a symbol of Japanese militarism and has the same meaning as the Nazi swastika. pic.twitter.com/FUAPyViQkY
— karma (@florenbooty) August 3, 2024
User @florenbooty sent her greetings, writing: “Hello Adele. Today’s concert in Munich was absolutely perfect, except for one thing. During the performance of ‘Rumor Has It’, the Rising Sun flag appeared on the screen. This flag is a symbol of Japanese militarism and has the same meaning as the Nazi swastika.”
@tzuontop wrote: “Westerners expect Asians to know about the hakenkreuz (Nazi swastika) but never educate themselves about the horrors the Japanese regime did at the time and what a terrible symbol the rising sun flag is.”
Adele and her representative have yet to comment on the matter.
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The outrage comes as many European fans who bought tickets to her “Adele In Munich” show feel betrayed by Ticketmaster’s alleged “unfair, non-transparent and exploitative” ticketing practices.
Fans alleged that tickets were sold to early buyers at high prices during pre-sale, but then cheaper tickets with similar or even better seats were sold to the general public.
In a Change.org petition started by several fans, they wrote: “During the pre-sale, fans were systematically misled through deceptive practices and false scarcity. After being asked to register for a queue link and wait for hours, early buyers were given tickets at inflated prices, often spaced far apart.”
“Then, additional seats were made available at cheaper prices in better locations. The claim that ‘there will be more demand than there are tickets available’ during pre-sale registration is a blatant manipulation to pressure people to buy quickly,” the petitioners alleged. “To make matters worse, new areas right next to the stage were recently added at much lower prices. This strategy not only unfairly disadvantages early buyers, but also exposes the pre-sale as a blatant scam.”
The petition is just a few signatures away from reaching its goal of 1,000 signatures.
READ MORE: Adele fans sue Ticketmaster over Munich show ticket sales: ‘Unfair and exploitative’
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