Real anti-Japan sentiment or publicity stunt?

Ever since the end of the Second World War, relations between Japan and Korea have been frosty at best. No matter how many decades have passed, such dark stains in history have a tendency to linger in people’s minds.

Take Korean YouTuber Hong Sung Hyuk, for example. Although his channel is generally lighthearted and mostly involves him chatting up beautiful women on streets, one video recently highlighted his supposed anti-Japan sentiment in stark detail. He had driven all the way down to the airport to purchase a flight ticket to Japan worth 1.35 million won (US$1,150).

▼ But instead of taking the plane, he ripped it up to shreds.

Hong’s message was clear to viewers: he was boycotting Japan. Yet despite the video showing him tearing up the ticket with grim satisfaction, the fact remained that he had already contributed toward Japan’s economy just by buying it.

▼ So he was essentially helping the country he hates while wasting good money.

▼ He did clean up his mess after like a proper law-abiding citizen, though.

Considering his obvious mistake and the channel’s general direction, the whole video comes across as more of a publicity stunt than a purposeful message to boycott Japan, not to mention that he could potentially walk up to a counter for a ticket refund. Most viewers, including his own subscribers, managed to see through his bluff and not take it too seriously:

“If you want to boycott, don’t buy the ticket in the first place.”
“This is all an act to get more subscribers.”
“That’s not boycotting at all.”
“You’re just delaying all the other passengers on board.”

Despite all that has happened, keep in mind that many Korean people do not feel this way, and Japanese youth these days love all things Korean. Both cultures have incredibly exciting stuff such as pop culture and food that have ended up influencing each other’s societies, and to shun one side is to lose out on enjoying the best things in life.

Source: YouTube/Clark TV, Facebook/Hong Sung Hyuk via Hachima Kiko
Images: YouTube/Clark TV
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