You know I don't hold 95% of netizens in high esteem anyway, but what lately was provided by Hancinema article is just plain idiocy at its finest.
First, the article and my ramblings later.
The appearance of Kimigayo and the Japanese rising sun on the KBS 2TV drama "Bridal Mask" is in the heat right now. There was a scene where Chae Hong-joo (Han Chae-ah) sang a Kimigayo in front of the rising sun in celebration of the Japan-Korea Annexation on the episode on the 11th.
Mok-dam Sa-ri (Jeon Noh-min) planned to start a bomb while Chae Hong-joo was singing but failed when Kimura Shunji (Park Ki-woong) got a hold of it. The appearance of the Bridal Mask ruined the Annexation. Netizens say, "This is appalling, in public too", "Was it
necessary?", "There would've been other ways to do this but this is
provoking" and most are very criticizing about this.
Some say, "There probably wasn't another choice if they wanted to go with the flow" and more.
And now, let me feed on this amount of nonsense.
First, the drama takes place in 30's of 20th century. Yes, you got that right - there was NO such country as Korea, there was, however, a western province of Imperial Japan. Since the whole land was incorporated to Japan national body as it was, Japanese language was mandatory, Japanese customs, and Japanese flags as well (hinomaru it is called, but I guess authors were too lazy to check the name, here, good journalists, I come to help idiots in distress). It would be a little too naive to think that Japanese would let Koreans keep their most beloved taegeuk as the emblem of their country, because - there was NO country. It wasn't occupation, it was incorporation.
Second issue that this short article has it's (I'm basing only on translation cause I'm lazy to check original, but I bet it would be exactly the same) calling the ceremony "Japan-Korea Annexation". You know, all those stupid books I read stated that the actual Annexation was in 1910, and in the drama we had Commemoration of Annexation. Just saying, but what those stupid books may know! Had Gaksital really "ruined the Annexation", there would be no Japanese presence there, no incorporation, no... no Gaksital, yes.
Third, one comment pleases me especially. "There would've been other ways to do this but this is
provoking". Of course there would be. Like blurring the image of the flag. Or hanging some scroll with characters reading: "Here Should Be Hinomaru But We Can't Hang It Because of Some Pretentious Fucks Who Feel Appalled".
Audience actually expected the series to dumb down to their level? What instead of the anthem can be sung at such an important ceremony? Arirang? Or, as my good friend Orion said - Bonamana maybe?
Japanese anthem and flag was a reality in those times whether modern Korean idiots want or don't want to accept it. You can't change the history by miaouling about such issues. It's in the past.
Netizens should be grateful half of the drama isn't in Japanese actually as in reality life was.
