Adele faces backlash from Koreans for using controversial Rising Sun Flag at concert; here’s why

Singer Adele is facing backlash from her Korean fans for using a rising sun image during her concert. The image, with historical ties to Korea’s past, has caused discomfort among her Korean audience due to its political connotations.

Adele's recent tour, which launched on August 3 in Munich, Germany, has faced controversy from its first show. The tour, expected to draw 800,000 people across 10 performances, has garnered significant global attention due to its scale. During a performance of her song ‘Rumour Has It,’ a Rising Sun flag image appeared on the LED backdrop, causing offense among Korean fans.

The Rising Sun Flag, linked to Japan’s militarism, is highly offensive to Koreans and its use in Germany has further shocked them. Similar to how the Swastika is perceived in Germany, the Rising Sun symbol is taboo in Korea, representing imperialism and war crimes of the past, as noted by AllKpop.

Images and videos of the Rising Sun flag at Adele's concert quickly went viral online. Korean fans voiced their frustration on Korean social media platforms, with some comments translated as: ‘How should I put this… White people seem really ignorant and uncivilized. They don’t understand why the Nazis are taboo; they just know Nazis are bad and accept that without question. Otherwise, why would they use such a symbol from the East? Their ignorance is striking.’

A second comment read, ‘So ignorant. Or did the person in charge do it on purpose? Since they can’t use Nazi symbols in Germany, is this a substitute?” A third comment theorised, “Do they want to use the Nazi symbol in Germany but can’t, so they use the Rising Sun flag instead? It seems intentional rather than ignorant.’

One comment read, ‘Are they clueless because it’s an Eastern symbol? I tried to understand, but they should know about World War II. They can’t be ignorant about Japan, so why do they have no interest or understanding of the Rising Sun flag?’

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