You’d think people would learn, but…
PopSeoul reports on Girls Generation is gussied up in military-themed outfits decked with Nazi symbols.
It’s not the first time Nazi imagery has been casually used in Korea, but you’d hope people would learn to be more careful.
(For a bit of comparison between how Korea feels about Nazi symbols and how Korea feels about reminders of the Japanese occupation, Popular Gusts has a nice series here.)
see also: Brian on Coreana
mike hurt on Nazi bars
(Update: quick response reflects well on SNSD and their handlers)
23/06/2009 at 11:22 pm Permalink
This is an interesting phenomenon.
I saw the Hitler bar in Busan a few years ago. It is all about perspective Rob. For Asian nations WWII was about Japan. Germany played no part in Asia and hence the perception of Nazis is different.
The reverse is true in the West where Japan is not viewed as harshly as Germany, except perhaps in the US military and among Pacific War vets.
Open a Hitler bar in Korea and people see it as a novelty. Open a Hirohito bar anywhere in Asia and you will get a riot….
Go to Canada or the US and open a Hitler bar…riot…however a Hirohito bar would not raise much of a reaction.
Interesting cultural and historical perspectives.
24/06/2009 at 12:01 am Permalink
As a German WWII insignia aficionado, I’ll say that what they’re wearing doesn’t even come close to being official Wehrmacht or Waffen-SS pieces. The old Coreana ad was much more authentic.
Interesting observation, Chris.
24/06/2009 at 12:34 am Permalink
Ugh, I hate having to visit PopSeoul.
This will probably not make me any friends, but I ask the point of having teeny-boppers dress up like soldiers at all? What’s the need to connect bubblegum pop with slaughtering people?
24/06/2009 at 12:50 am Permalink
Because a Lolita in uniform is more aesthetic than a Lolita in street clothes.
24/06/2009 at 8:46 am Permalink
Come on guys, don’t you see the connection between nine ultra hot teenagers who sing and dance to bland pop music to fascism? I mean 소녀시대 represents an ideal for Korean feminine beauty, waifishness, and perhaps due to the fact that their are nine of them that their individuality doesn’t really matter. Much like the nazi philosophy that there was something called an Aryan race of blonde haired blue eyed supermen that deserved a third reicht; one could argue that 소녀시대, represents a new generation of Korean woman that is surgically manipulated to be a stepford charecter who does nothing but sing songs about how she is so shy and nervous about going on a date, and hoping that her boyfriend likes her (see translation of “Gee”)
Now I’m not saying that I such marginalization of Naziism, but I think there are some unintended symbols that can’t quite be overlooked when considering modern Korean culture and Nazis. (Not to mention common Korean ideas about things like blood purity, and superstitions about blood types.) In the end I don’t think that this kind of behaviour will go away soon. It’ll just get worse and worse, until someone does something completely retarded for the whole world to see. (I’m betting on some famous sports player will wear an ss arm band or something completely oblivious like that, and then when taken to task they act like a complete deer in the headlights.)
24/06/2009 at 10:20 am Permalink
Does this kind of thing get a mention on CNN international or BBC World? When I first came to Korea and Hitler was advertising ACE crackers (or another brand, cant remember) there was international media coverage, outrage, and condemnation.
24/06/2009 at 12:59 pm Permalink
Are you sure it was crackers? I remember Hilter in a Korean chocopie commercial. (8 years ago? 10?)
24/06/2009 at 1:41 pm Permalink
Ummm, I’d like to call bullshit on the “if you opened an Imperial Japanese bar outside Asia no one would care” argument. That’s taking the whole “cultural relativism” thing to an extreme. You could argue that MOST people would have no problem with it, but it would definitely get into the papers and cause controversy.
24/06/2009 at 9:22 pm Permalink
Makes me wonder if Jewish groups across the globe ever get site of these images and feel:
a.) disgusted
b.) appalled
c.) confused
d.) all of the above
e.) don’t care
25/06/2009 at 2:02 am Permalink
Give me a break with the relativistic crap. Hello??? F’ing Nazis!!! Trash that bullshit man.
25/06/2009 at 12:15 pm Permalink
People noticed when the Chicago Cubs used the flag to market their first Japanese player in 2008. I don’t know if it reached the level of “outrage,” but it made some people uncomfortable. I wonder how the player himself felt about it.
25/06/2009 at 12:28 pm Permalink
“Ummm, I’d like to call bullshit on the “if you opened an Imperial Japanese bar outside Asia no one would care” argument.”
I don’t know about that. Was there a lot of controversy in America when Rising Sun headbands became popular?
25/06/2009 at 11:01 pm Permalink
Ok Jesus..open one (a Hirohito) in a major North American or better yet European city and see what happens..the open a Hirohito, Yamamoto or other cafe or bar in Manila…compare the reaction.
I saw one in Paris 6 years ago. A tea house called the L’empereur Hirohito. It was packed. It was not contested.
I saw a few tea houses in my own country (Canada) with Japanese imperial flags and samurai decorations (Samurai being before WWII of course). One particular Tea house had a big rising sun flag above the door and inside had pictures of various Japanese warriors, including many WWII figures.
Its not relativism, its about perspective and how WWII happened. Germany was absent from Asia. It did not oppress, kill or enslave any asians. Japan did all of that. On the flip side, Japan did very little oppression or enslavement against europeans or North americans, with the exception of British and American servicemen. The perception differs and the focus of what is taught in history courses differs as a result. Thats not relativism its fact.
The rising sun headbands cited by SKFK are a good example of what I am talking about.
This is not a judgement call on my part. I think using Nazi symbols to decorate something is unacceptable. I also think using Japanese imperial symbols is just as unacceptable. Both countries committed atrocities in their respective theaters of war. Neither should be used as decoration. But, the difference in perception remains and is very understandable when you consider the history and geography of WWII.
To point out one thing does not negate or whitewash the other. That was not my intent. In the West, material on what Japan did during WWII is not covered in the same detail as what the Germans did. Yet the Japanese had concentration camps too, they enslaved people from all over asia and engaged in massacres (ask the Chinese….). Thats not relativism, its trying to show that perceptions differ from one part of the world to the other.