Japan’s Sankei Shimbun reported on the 16th that the Japanese national anthem, ‘Kimigayo’, was resounding in the middle of Seoul. This is the first time Kimigayo has been played at an official event in Korea.
The day before, the Japanese Embassy in Korea held an invitation event at a hotel in Seoul to celebrate the birthday of Emperor Naruhito (February 23) after 4 years and 3 months. While many domestic figures were invited, Kimigayo was played following the Korean national anthem at the event.
The Sankei Shimbun said, “The Japanese government has been putting off playing the national anthem (Kimigayo) due to anti-Japanese sentiment in Korea.” Accordingly, the Japanese government also decided that it was an opportunity to break away from the strained relationship between the two countries.”
Japanese Ambassador to Korea Koichi Aiboshi attends the birthday celebration of Emperor Naruhito held at the Grand Hyatt Seoul Hotel in Yongsan-gu, Seoul hosted by the Japanese Embassy on the afternoon of the 16th. 2023.2.16/News 1An official from the Japanese embassy said, “The reason why Kimigayo has not been played at events that have taken place was to avoid burdening the attendees, but it was also excessive.” The intention was to do it in a ‘obvious format’ this time in the flow of improving relationships,” he explained the reason for playing Kimigayo.
In Kimigayo, there is a phrase that says, “A certain era will last for a thousand generations, until a small pebble becomes a large rock and grows moss in the eighth thousand generations.” Critics of Kimigayo say, “‘Im(君)’ in the passage means Japan’s ‘Emperor,’ and Kimigayo symbolizes ‘imperialism’ and ‘militarism’ in that it wishes for the emperor’s reign to last forever.” say
Meanwhile, the event was attended by Sohn Kyung-sik, chairman of the Korea Employers Federation, US Ambassador to Korea Philip Goldberg, and Japanese Ambassador to Korea Koichi Aiboshi. Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Lee Do-hoon, who visited the event together, gave a congratulatory speech. In front of the event, anti-Japanese civic groups held a protest against the event.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.