On the 15th, Independence Day, KBS aired the opera ‘Madame Butterfly’, which featured the Japanese national anthem and traditional costumes, and apologized after a flood of complaints from viewers.
KBS released a statement on the 15th and said, “We are sorry for causing worry and disappointment to viewers regarding ‘KBS Broadcast Seat,’ a scheduled broadcast program for the performing arts. “
‘KBS Broadcast Seat’, which was broadcast on KBS 1TV at midnight on this day, broadcast a recording of the opera ‘Madame Butterfly’ which was performed at the Seoul Arts Center on June 29 this year.
‘Madame Butterfly’, written by the Italian composer Giacomo Puccini, deals with the love between an American officer and a Japanese woman. In the wedding scene of the two main characters, the Japanese national anthem, Kimigayo, is played, and the female lead wears a traditional Japanese kimono.
When kimono and Kimigayo appeared on public broadcast on Independence Day, voices of criticism rose. One viewer posted a comment criticizing this on the KBS viewer petition bulletin board, and received approval from over 10,000 people by 1pm.
KBS explained, “It was originally scheduled to air at the end of July, but it was pushed back due to the Olympics being aired and aired early in the morning on Independence Day. whether there were any problems with the content that was broadcast and whether the timing was appropriate with the changed schedule.” he did
Meanwhile, when KBS delivered that day’s weather forecast, a small Korean flag displayed on one side of the screen was flipped left and right. Criticism of this has been posted in some online communities.
Reporter Kim Hyeon-gyeong [email protected]
