Incheon City Removes Liberation Day Banner After Flag Controversy

Incheon City has removed a banner celebrating Liberation Day just two days after its installation due to public outcry over an allegedly inverted South Korean flag. The banner, displayed on August 6 near a crosswalk at the city hall's rear entrance, featured the slogan "The Day We Reclaimed the Light, 81st Liberation Day" alongside an image of an independence activist waving the national flag.

Online discussions quickly pointed out that the Taegeukgi symbol appeared reversed, with the blue part of the yin-yang symbol positioned above the red. This observation gained traction, even drawing a comment from celebrity Kim Heechul, who expressed his agreement with the criticism. The controversy highlighted a sensitivity surrounding national symbols and their accurate representation.

City officials initially clarified that the depiction was intentional, intended to show an independence activist's flag from a perspective looking up from below. However, facing mounting criticism, the city decided to take down the banner on the morning of August 8. They plan to replace it with a corrected version before Liberation Day on August 15.

A city official acknowledged the oversight, stating, "We failed to check that the Taegeuk and Gongeum patterns could appear inverted, leading to public misunderstanding." The official pledged greater diligence to prevent future misinterpretations. Kim Heechul later apologized for his initial reaction, admitting his haste and lack of spatial awareness. He reflected that seeing inverted flags frequently had apparently caused his anger to build up.