South Korean actor Song Jin-woo, 40―who is married to a Japanese wife and has two children―has come under fire after comments on a YouTube talk show about multicultural families. While discussing what his kids might encounter at school, he said “Korea and Japan fought back in the day,” a phrasing critics say frames Japan’s invasion and colonial rule as a simple clash between two sides. The backlash was swift across social media and online forums.
The controversy stemmed from a recent video on YouTube channel "Team 354," featuring Germany-born TV personality Daniel Lindemann, India-born entertainer Lucky, Italy-born Alberto Mondi, and Song, who talked about international marriages and multicultural family life.
“I worry about what happens when kids learn history at school,” Song said, adding he’d heard stories about children who were bullied because of their parents’ nationalities. He noted he’d tried to explain things to his own kids by saying, “The two countries fought a long time ago, but not anymore,” and also remarked that “both sides’ perspectives should be considered”―comments that further fueled the outcry.
Once the video went live, comments sections and online communities lit up with criticism.
Some users pushed back hard: “How can you call Japan’s invasion ‘a fight’?” and “Would you ever say Jews and Nazis ‘fought’ back then?” Another commenter wrote, “We’ve never received a proper apology from Japan. Calling it a ‘fight’ hits a raw nerve for Koreans.” As the furor grew, Team 354 set the video to private and issued a public apology.
The producers said there was “no intention whatsoever to downplay or distort the fact of Japan’s aggression” and acknowledged that “the editing made it sound like a simple dispute,” calling it their mistake. They added that the “hear both sides” line was meant to encourage understanding diverse perspectives, not to promote bothsidesism, but conceded the intent was muddied in the final cut and apologized again.
Song also apologized directly in the comments: “I sincerely apologize for the hurt and disappointment caused by my careless words. I had no intention of teaching my children a distorted view of history. In talking about the hate and violence some multicultural kids face because of their parents’ nationalities, I wanted to emphasize knowing historical facts accurately and rejecting violence. In trying to explain from a child’s point of view, I used the wrong wording. This is entirely my shortcoming.”
Team 354 added, “We feel deep responsibility for the way a participant’s remarks were conveyed,” pledging to tighten production and review processes to prevent a repeat.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Kyung-youn)