The birthday celebration of Emperor Naruhito, which was suspended due to the Corona 19 incident, was held again in Seoul.
In particular, it is known that the Japanese national anthem ‘Kimigayo’ (君が代), which symbolizes the days of militaristic Japanese rule, was played for the first time at this event with the cooperation of the Yoon Seok-yeol government.
The Japanese Embassy in Korea invited prominent figures in Korea to celebrate the birthday of Emperor Naruhito (February 23) at a hotel in Yongsan-gu, Seoul at around 6:00 pm on the 16th.
Throughout the hotel, women dressed in ‘kimonos’, traditional Japanese attire, were busy welcoming guests. Inside the hotel, bodyguards dressed in plain clothes with wireless communication devices plugged into their ears were deployed everywhere, and police officers in uniform were also seen outside the hotel building.
Every year, Japan regards the birthday of the emperor as a kind of national holiday and celebrates it. Not only in Japan, but overseas spaces around the world have held celebrations and invited key figures from the host country to banquets.
During the reign of former Emperor Akihito, a celebration was held every year to commemorate his birthday (December 23). However, related events were suspended in Seoul for the past three years due to the Corona 19 incident, but resumed this year.
It is reported that Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Lee Do-hoon attended the ceremony on behalf of the Korean government.
Until now, the 1st Vice Minister in charge of Korea-Japan relations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs attended, but this year, the 2nd Vice Minister took his place as First Vice Minister Cho Hyeon-dong was visiting the United States to attend a Korea-US-Japan Vice Ministers of Foreign Affairs meeting.
Meanwhile, Japan’s far-right Sankei Shimbun reported that Kimigayo was played side by side with the Korean national anthem at the event.
Sankei said, “The Japanese government delayed playing the national anthem in previous years due to anti-Japanese sentiment in Korea, but the Yoon Seok-yeol administration, which was launched last year, aimed to improve relations with Japan, and the Japanese government also judged that it was an opportunity to break away from the strained relationship between the two countries.” It was reported as a ‘special report’.
Also, in an interview with an official from the Japanese embassy, Sankei said about the background of not playing Kimigayo in the past, “We have been careful not to burden the attendees, but there was an excessive side.” In the midst of the flow, I decided to play Kimigayo along with the Korean national anthem because I was asked to do it naturally this time.”
‘Kimigayo’ was regarded as a hymn to the Japanese Empire and the emperor in the past, and together with ‘Rising Sun Flag’, it used to bring about political debates about Korea-Japan relations in Korea.
In particular, in the lyrics of Kimigayo, there is a phrase that says, “In the 1,000 to 8,000 generations, until a pebble becomes a rock and grows moss”, criticism is raised that ‘Lim’ here means the emperor and symbolizes militaristic Japan. come.
In the midst of this, anti-Japanese civic groups held a protest in front of the hotel where the event was held.
From around 5:00 pm on the same day, five people, including Hong Jeong-sik, the representative of the civic group Hwalbindan, unfurled a banner reading “Stop the Emperor’s birthday party in the middle of Seoul” and staged a counter-demonstration at the front gate of the hotel.
They also sprinkled salt and red pepper powder after reading a statement that said, “The middle of Namsan Mountain (where the hotel is located) is a place overlooking the presidential office and official residence.”
