High notes, salutes and protests: Why national anthems spark controversy in sports

During a game bewteen the NC Dinos and the Kiwoom Heroes at Changwon NC Park on May 16, singer Eom Ji-young drew considerable controversy with her rendition of the national anthem, “Aegukga.” Unlike the conventional style of singing the anthem, Eom incorporated high notes and various vocal flourishes. A video of her performance quickly spread online, prompting criticism that she had undermined the anthem’s essence and purity. Eom eventually apologized.

“National ceremonies” at Korean baseball stadiums have repeatedly found themselves at the center of controversy.

During the 2017 World Baseball Classic, Kim Tae-kyun came under fire after saluting during the playing of the national anthem, imitating Lee Dae-eun, who at the time was a member of the Korean Police Baseball Team. Kim later apologized on his YouTube channel, saying he did not fully understand the precise meaning of the salute and had simply followed Lee because he felt sorry for his teammate standing alone and saluting.

There have also been cases in which controversy over conduct during a national ceremony led to a player’s dismissal.

In 2015, Davon Jefferson, a foreign player for the Changwon LG Sakers of the Korean Basketball League, came under intense criticism after stretching in place during the playing of the national anthem before a playoff game against the Ulsan Hyundai Mobis Phoebus. The controversy escalated when Jefferson subsequently posted an image containing an obscene hand gesture on social media, apparently expressing his displeasure. With the social media controversy compounding criticism over his conduct during the national ceremony, the team abruptly released him despite being at a crucial point in the season, with a place in the championship series at stake.

Korea is not alone in finding significance in the playing of the national anthem during sporting events.

Overseas, the playing of a national anthem before a game has at times been used as a platform for social protest. In August 2016, amid growing controversy over racial discrimination and police violence following a series of fatal police shootings of Black people in the United States, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick refused to stand during the U.S. national anthem, instead taking a knee.

Kaepernick said he would not stand for the flag of a country that he believed was turning a blind eye to racial discrimination. His decision to kneel during the anthem went on to spark a broader movement against racial discrimination in the United States. The gesture subsequently spread as a symbolic act of protest against racism across sporting arenas around the world, including England’s Premier League.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.