Netflix's 'Umbrella Academy' featuring Rising Sun design causes stir
A scene from the third season of the Netflix original series, “Umbrella Academy,” featuring Japan's Rising Sun flag design / Korea Times file
By Kwak Yeon-soo
The third season of “Umbrella Academy” on Netflix has caused a stir for featuring the Imperial Japanese Army's flag design in episodes 6 and 10, prompting a Korean civic organization to request the streaming giant to edit out the controversial scenes.
The latest season of Netflix's original series, which was released on June 22, displays the Rising Sun design, which was used by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II and is regarded as a symbol of its wartime aggression, in multiple scenes. Many Koreans view it as a symbol of Japan's past imperialism and militarism.
The Voluntary Agency Network of Korea (VANK) criticized Netflix for its ignorance and started a global petition to make Netflix remove controversial scenes from the series. VANK was established in 1999 with the mission to promote Korean culture and history online.
On social media platforms, VANK has been distributing a poster that features an image of the controversial scenes from “Umbrella Academy” with captions that read, “The Rising Sun flag is the flag of war crimes. Just as the Hakenkreuz represents fascism to Europeans, the Japanese Rising Sun flag represents fascism to Asians,” in Korean and English.
“If Netflix does not address this issue despite being aware of the concern of Koreans, it is just the same as acknowledging imperialist war crimes,” VANK said. “Therefore, Netflix should recognize the problem and stop endorsing Japan's imperialism and war of aggression.”
A scene from the third season of the Netflix original series, “Umbrella Academy,” featuring Japan's Rising Sun flag / Korea Times file
Seo Kyoung-duk, a professor of liberal arts specialized in advertising at Seoul's Sungshin Women's University, who is known for his efforts to inform people abroad about Korean culture and history, called on Netflix to take action.
“The 'Umbrella Academy' season 3 has topped the list of most-viewed English-language series on Netflix and is enjoying immense popularity around the globe. We must call on Netflix to take action, as viewers might misunderstand the historical meaning behind the Rising Sun flag,” he said.
This is not the first time that Netflix has faced a backlash for turning a blind eye to its shows featuring Rising Sun flags. When “Demon Slayer” premiered, protagonist Tanjiro's earrings sparked outrage among Korean viewers for resembling the Rising Sun flag. Following complaints, Netflix edited out the scene for certain Asian countries, including Korea.
Earlier in July, Maroon 5 came under fire for incorporating the Rising Sun flag in a promotional image for its world tour. Amid the controversy, the band deleted the image from its website.