Netizens Are Enraged After Seeing A Japanese Castle In A Traditonal Korean Program

Recently, KBS is receiving criticism for displaying a Japanese castle in the background of a traditional Korean music program.

The castle appeared when LEENALCHI sang their song “Please Don’t Go” on the show Chosun Pop Again back on February 11th. When it aired, netizens quickly noticed that the castle displayed in the background looked oddly similar to Osaka Castle.

Osaka Castle is one of the twelve remaining castles in Japan. It became one of Japan’s most famous landmarks and played a major role in the unification of Japan in the 16th century.

They also found that it looked even more similar to Himeji Castle, or White Egret Castle. It is the largest castle in Japan and is famous for its architecture.

Netizens flooded Chosun Pop Again with criticism.

• “Is this JBS not KBS?”
• “This is clearly showing what they use the subscription fee for.” 
• “Did you raise the subscription fee just for this absurdity?”

They are most likely upset due to the fact that the show was showcasing Korean traditions and history, yet showed one of the biggest symbols of Japan in the background.

They must have only thought about the aesthetics of the photo so that they would get good ratings. It’s a pity that this is the level of public broadcasting.

—Columnist Hwang Kyo Ik

KBS apologized and said they were attempting to envision “Yonggung” or Dragon Palace.

We are sorry for the unexpected controversy. I envisioned Yonggung as the background of the song ’Please Don’t Go’ of LEENACHI. It took various references and animations to realize the image of Yonggung does not exist. The image of Yonggung produced through this process is an image that expresses the Dragon Palace in imagination, and I did not intentionally copy the Japanese castle. Still, I want to say sorry to the viewers and LEENACHI who felt uncomfortable.

—KBS Production Crew