Gangnam, praised by Japanese actor as 'descendant of Kamikaze special attack unit,' faces public backlash... "Are you tarnishing the face of national team athlete Lee Sang-hwa?" [Star Issue]

*This content was translated by AI.

Singer Gangnam is facing intense public criticism after expressing support for Japanese actor Fukushi Sota.

On the 21st, YouTube channel 'Neighborhood Friend Gangnam' received a flood of comments criticizing Gangnam, including "Go back to Japan," "Even if he naturalizes and marries a Korean, can't his Japanese nature ever disappear?", "Are you deleting comments?", "You're tarnishing the face of national team athlete Lee Sang-hwa," and "How long has it been since Liberation Day?"

On the 20th, a video titled "From Hell~ Who's back?~ Gangnam Shin Gil-dong takes on the spicy Jjamppong challenge" was uploaded to the channel. Japanese actor Fukushi Sota appeared as a guest in the video that day.

Despite being embroiled in right-wing controversies, Gangnam praised Fukushi Sota, saying, "He speaks Korean better than I do." He also posted on his Instagram: "Fukushi Sota studies hard, so I think he might speak Korean even better than me! He's truly smart and kind. Please support him a lot!" This sparked strong backlash from the Korean public.

Fukushi Sota appeared in the 2015 Fuji TV documentary "Teach Us About War," where he revealed that his grandfather was a candidate for a special attack unit who had undergone Kamikaze training. He shed tears while saying, "I respect my grandfather."

Kamikaze () refers to the suicide attack tactics using aircraft employed by the Japanese military against Allied ships during the final stages of World War II, as well as the special attack units organized for this purpose.

Fukushi Sota was also previously embroiled in controversy regarding his grandfather when he appeared in Netflix's "Is This Love Translatable?" released last January.

Recently, actor Ha Young faced public condemnation over controversies surrounding her grandfather's pro-Japanese activities. With Gangnam praising a Japanese individual who supported imperialism just days after Liberation Day, domestic public opinion is expressing shock and a sense of betrayal.

Meanwhile, Gangnam was born to a Japanese father and a Korean mother. After marrying former speed skater Lee Sang-hwa in 2019, he naturalized as a South Korean citizen.

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*This content was translated by AI.