Newcastle, which made a scene reminiscent of the Rising Sun Flag ahead of its visit to Korea, is causing a stir.
Newcastle, a professional football team in England, said on its social networking service (SNS) on the 2nd (Korea Standard Time), “The video of the release of the third uniform in the 2025-26 season included scenes that could unintentionally offend.” I’m sorry,” he said, expressing an official apology. At the same time, Newcastle posted a new video, saying, “We have deleted the scene from the video so that as many fans as possible can enjoy it.”
The scene in question came from a video revealing Newcastle’s third uniform (Third Kit) of the next season. A Newcastle fan, believed to be Japanese in the video, caused controversy by waving a Newcastle flag based on the design of the Rising Sun Flag.
사진 확대 Photo = Capture Newcastle SNS video
The Rising Sun Flag is a flag that symbolizes the military that Japan has used in the wars of aggression in Asia, including the Pacific War, since the end of the 19th century. It is a symbol representing Japanese militarism and imperialism and is still used as a design by some ignorant people in modern times.
However, it is a reminder of historical wounds and pains for Korea, China, and multiple Southeast Asian countries that were invaded by Japan in the past. The flag also actually has the phrase “NUFC JAPAN,” indicating that this is a flag produced by a Japanese fan. Unlike the traditional color of the Rising Sun flag, which stretches out the red sun on a white background, it was made in black and white, the symbolic colors of Newcastle, but anyone could see that it was inspired.
It would have been a problem even in normal times, but it was also more controversial that Newcastle is scheduled to visit Korea soon. Newcastle will visit Korea this summer on a pre-season tour to Asia.
After a friendly match against Arsenal (England) in Singapore on the 27th, he will visit Korea and face Team K League at Suwon World Cup Stadium on the 30th and Tottenham Hotspur (England) at Seoul World Cup Stadium on August 3rd.
Critics point out that the visit to Korea is actually aimed at marketing and economic utility, but it also lacks a basic understanding of the country ahead of the tour. More than domestic soccer fans and public opinion were heated, the British media also criticized.
사진 확대 Photo = Reporter Chun Jung-hwan
사진 확대 Photo = Reporter Chun Jung-hwan
The Sun, a British media outlet, said on the 2nd, “Newcastle unveiled a third uniform made by Adidas next season. However, in the promotional video, I used a flag that could offend me. The Rising Sun Flag, which symbolizes the Japanese emperor and the Japanese military, was used to promote the uniform,” he said. “This flag is a taboo by Korea, China, Singapore, and Russia, which have a painful history due to Japanese aggression in the early and mid-20th century. In particular, Newcastle is planning a pre-season tour this summer in Singapore and South Korea, causing even more controversy.”
Other British media The Telegraph also officially apologized on the 2nd for Newcastle’s inclusion of elements related to World War II in the promotional video for the launch of Third Kit. A flag with a design similar to the Rising Sun Flag used by the Japanese Imperial Army at the time was included in the promotional video, which is criticized. In Japan’s neighboring countries, the flag is considered to symbolize the brutality that occurred in World War II,” he explained.
Moreover, Newcastle has recently been linked to rumors of recruitment with South Korean players, so it was an even worse mistake.
Newcastle, which will play in the European tournament next season, has been consistently named in the recruitment of Korean “iron pillar” Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), and there have been reports that it is struggling to recruit Park Seung-soo, a teenage midfielder prospect of Suwon Samsung.
[Kim Wonik, MK Sports Reporter]