(image: Professor Seo Kyoung-duk)
SEOUL, Aug. 11 (Korea Bizwire) — Professor Seo Kyoung-duk from Sungshin Women’s University revealed today that he had asked global e-commerce giant Amazon to stop selling products featuring the Rising Sun Flag, which represents the perils of imperialism for many Koreans.
After being alerted by a member of the public, Seo spent the last two weeks surveying Amazon’s online shopping website and found that over 400 products from keychains and cell phone cases to hats and t-shirts featuring the offensive flag were being sold to the mass public.
Seo wrote an email to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos explaining the meaning and symbolism behind the Rising Sun Flag in a YouTube video in an effort to stop the products from being sold online.
In regards to the incident, the professor stated that the products could bring about a misunderstanding of the flag in the global population.
“I will survey other famous online shopping websites in the United States and Europe to check for the flags,” added Seo.
Seo also said that as in the case of the swastika, which is banned by law in Germany and France, Korea and other Asian countries should come together to find a way to put an end to the use of the Rising Sun Flag and similar imagery.
Seo has been campaigning against the use of the flag by multinational corporations and had been successful in having the rising sun emblem removed from FIFA’s official Instagram account and videos made by Japan Airlines and Adidas.
Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)
