South Korea makes Asian Games complaint over Japan warlord ceremony

SEOUL: South Korea's Olympic committee said on Friday (Sep 18) it filed a complaint with Asian Games organisers in Nagoya for featuring a Japanese warlord at a welcoming ceremony.

The event on Tuesday included a person dressed as Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who led Japan's invasions of Korea in 1592-1598, and the ceremony prompted a backlash in South Korea.

Historical issues are sensitive between South Korea and Japan, with Hideyoshi's invasion a significant episode in Korean history and Korea later under Japanese colonial rule from 1910 to 1945.

Three Japanese warlord characters were present for the arrival of a cruise ship in Nagoya that will serve as a floating hotel for thousands of Games athletes.

Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) president Ryu Seung-min sent a letter to the local organising committee and the Olympic Council of Asia "expressing regret and calling for measures to prevent a recurrence", a KSOC spokeswoman told AFP.

Organisers said the performance was "not intended to praise specific historical figures or convey historical messages".

"We recognise that the Asian Games bring together a diverse group of athletes and officials from many countries and regions, and that ceremonies and other forms of expression may be interpreted in various ways," they said.

"We will continue to ensure that our programs and content are appropriate for an international competition, and we wholeheartedly welcome the athletes and officials from Asian countries and regions."

Seoul-Tokyo ties have often been strained over Japan's colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula.

During that period, about 780,000 Koreans were conscripted into forced labour, according to Seoul data, a figure that does not include women forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military.