LE SSERAFIM embroiled in controversy over Japanese style: Rising sun flag + Dokdo?

A post discussing LE SSERAFIM‘s “Burn the Bridge” music video was recently shared on an online community for re-examination.

Amidst internal conflicts within HYBE, including disputes with ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin and accusations related to Dahnworld and potential cult involvement, LE SSERAFIM’s music video has once again gained attention.

The initial shot of the music video for “Burn the Bridge”features a floor drenched in red liquid, accompanied by a narration spoken in Japanese.

One netizen delved into the timeline of the video and offered contextual explanations for each scene. According to this netizen, the video serves as a representation of pro-Japanese imperialism and propaganda for the Japan-Korea Integration Policy during the Japanese colonial era. Furthermore, the netizen stated that the video is also a component of Japan’s national cultural support project, known as ‘Cool Japan’.

Additionally, they noted a scene towards the conclusion where Sakura, a Japanese member, gazes at the sky while floating above water, reminiscent of the shape of Dokdo, a territory that is currently in dispute.

This resulted in a flood of critical comments on the video, with many stating that the addition of Japanese members was odd and questioning if the group’s concept was pro-Japanese. Others expressed shame for supporting the group without being aware of this, and questioned the use of Japanese language in their music. Some even went as far as to say that it was difficult to discern if the group’s style was K-pop or J-pop, and accused them of being openly pro-Japanese from the beginning. The level of blatantness was deemed shocking by many.

Furthermore, the ongoing controversy surrounding Sakura’s derogatory remarks towards Koreans has garnered widespread attention. Since the start of her career in Japan, Sakura has been embroiled in a series of controversies. This includes her past performances with AKB48, during which she wore clothing featuring the rising sun flag and participated in shows promoting war criminals.

Despite the emergence of multiple rebuttals, the truthfulness of these allegations has not been officially confirmed, but the dispute continues.

Furthermore, netizens brought attention to possible instances of misconduct during LE SSERAFIM’s recent show at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. They voiced concerns about the use of Japanese narration by Sakura as the group members took to the stage, the appearance of a screen resembling the rising sun flag in the background, and the use of Japanese in their final farewell despite being a Korean group.

Currently, the side of LE SSERAFIM has implied taking legal action. On April 26th, their agency Source Music released a statement saying, “We have noticed a significant amount of unfounded accusations, dissemination of false information, sexual harassment, and malicious defamation towards LE SSERAFIM. To safeguard our artists, we will escalate our legal actions as deemed necessary.”

Moreover, they stressed that strict actions will be taken against derogatory posts on social media, online forums, and other platforms as it greatly violates the dignity of artists.