Controversy over SNSD’s Album Cover
Days before SNSD makes their comeback, their mini-album cover has come under fire from irate bloggers. Bloggers have claimed that in the album cover that was released today, the fighter plane was a direct replica of Japan's Zero-sen fighter planes which was operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service in World War 2.
Looking at the album cover, an image of a fighter plane does appear at SNSD's member, YoonA's waist, and just below the Korean flag on her military uniform. The bloggers have suggested that the image was Japan's Zero-sen fighter planes which had been used for kamaikaze attacks in the latter part of the war. They also said that the only difference was the lack of a Japanese national flag, everything else was the same.
Netizens commented, "As the nation's representative idol group, they have hurt the feelings of Koreans", "Not just the fighter plane, the marine uniforms that they are wearing reminds one of the Japanese imperialism period." Soshi fans defended their idols, "This is the fault of the album cover designer, SNSD has done no wrong."
A check with the public relations office of the Republic of Korean Air Force indicated that the fighter plane does look pretty similar with that of Japan's Zero-sen fighter plane although they fell short of confirming it. But they also expressed that the fighter plane definitely wasn't the ones used by United States or the United Nations Air Forces.
SM Entertainment expressed, "The album cover for SNSD had been designed based on the marine girl concept, there's no hidden meaning to it at all."
With South Korea still pretty much at loggerheads with Japan over World War 2, a different fighter plane could have been used instead.
22 Jun 2009 - 07:48 AM
1. blaize_alight
o.o wow.. harsh much?