Jamsil Baseball Stadium (Image courtesy of Seoul city)
SEOUL, Aug. 16 (Korea Bizwire) – In the lead up to South Korea’s Liberation Day, the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) found itself embroiled in an unexpected controversy over the display of the Japanese flag at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul.
The debate began when fans learned that Shirukawa Keisho, a 23-year-old Japanese pitcher for the Doosan Bears, was initially scheduled to start on August 15, Korea’s Liberation Day. This day commemorates Korea’s liberation from Japanese colonial rule in 1945.
Responding to fan concerns, the Doosan Bears adjusted their rotation, explaining that due to a rain cancellation on August 13, Korean pitcher Choi Won-jun would start on the 15th, with Shirukawa’s start pushed to the 16th against the KT Wiz in Suwon.
However, the controversy shifted to the Japanese flag displayed at Jamsil Stadium. For two decades, Doosan has maintained a tradition of flying the national flags of its foreign players alongside the South Korean flag. Currently, this includes the flags of the United States, Canada, and Japan.
Fans are divided on the issue. Some argue that a 23-year-old athlete shouldn’t be caught in political crossfire, while others maintain that displaying the Japanese flag on Liberation Day is inappropriate.
Kim Sung-chul, a 26-year-old baseball fan, said, “What wrong has this young foreign player, who came to Korea to earn a living, done?”
He added, “Korean-Japanese relations have been improving recently. We should focus on surpassing Japan, not just opposing it.”
However, a fan in his 40s countered, “I don’t want to see the Japanese flag flying at Jamsil Stadium, a symbol of Korean baseball, on Liberation Day. The team should lower it.”
Initially, Doosan planned to keep all flags flying, citing a 20-year tradition and the International Olympic Committee’s principle of separating politics from sports.
However, due to mounting criticism, the team decided to lower all flags except the South Korean flag for the Liberation Day game.
Some observers attribute this controversy to South Korea’s intensifying political polarization. They note that similar situations in the past, such as Japanese pitchers starting on Liberation Day in 2009 and 2010, didn’t provoke significant backlash.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
