Steven Yeun News: Actor Apologizes For Liking Japanese Equivalent Of Nazi Sign; Koreans Still Unsatisfied With Apology
The Walking Dead's Steven Yeun is under fire from the people of South Korea right now, and his situation does not seem to be getting better. The 34-year-old actor recently got in trouble and extreme criticism after liking a sensitive issue on social media. It was something which was quite offending to the people of South Korea.
Back on May 11, Steven Yeun liked a photo of a Caucasian boy on Instagram wearing a shirt decorated with the Japanese Rising Sun flag which was used back in World War II. For South Koreans, this was the equivalent of the Nazi emblem since the country was invaded by Imperial Japan back in World War II and suffered plenty of war atrocities.
Since then, Steven Yeun has apologized following the backlash that his Instagram like caused. Yeun acknowledges the issue he inadvertently created and is sorry to all the victims of World War II in South Korea. Though he did clarify that he finds the said mess quite overblown since he stated that a simple swipe, like, or tap on social media does not represent a person, including himself. It is worth noting that Yeun has issued both an English and Korean language apology.
Still, Steven Yeun has stated that he does not condone or take the dark past of South Korea under Japanese occupation lightly and is aware of his birth country's history. The photo he liked for him was merely a photo shared by his colleague and movie director Joe Lynch, meaning Yeun liked it because of his friend and not because of the symbol.
Meanwhile, a South Korean professor of general education, Seo Kyoung-duk has stated that Steven Yeun's apology is not enough. Granted, she was talking about Steven Yeun's English apology but finds the Korean one satisfactory. Seo Kyoung-duk suggested that Yeun's English apology can have a less respectful interpretation. Hence, it may not be enough.
Though the Rising Sun has been in widespread use internationally, even with some favorite brands like Nike, South Korea still holds a grudge against the symbol and what it represented. Back in World War II, Imperial Japan colonized South Korea and made sex slaves of a lot of the South Korean women. Steven Yeun growing up in America might have been a factor in his mistake despite being a full Korean.
Steven Yeun has not yet responded to further criticisms after his bilingual apology. Though hopefully, his countrymen can forgive him eventually.
