Korean Comedian’s Fukushima Joke Angers Japanese Netizens
by julia on Thursday, August 8, 2013
by julia on Thursday, August 8, 2013
More than two years after the nuclear accident in Fukushima, the recovering prefecture has once again found itself in the national spotlight. First, the country mourned together when Fukushima hero Yoshida Masao passed away. Immediately afterward, the internet community was united in outrage when former prime minister Kan Naoto announced his plans to sue Abe Shinzo for defamation over the Fukushima disaster , seemingly taking advantage of Yoshida’s death to rebuild his own reputation.
Now, netizens are shocked that a Korean entertainer made a joke about the radioactivity of food grown in Fukushima. It seems the joke got positive feedback from the Korean media and internet community, and the Japanese media hasn’t given it much coverage at all. Regardless of the entertainer’s intentions, people are worried that joking about the Fukushima incident might harm an agriculture industry that is still suffering from widespread misinformation about the safety of the food grown in the region. The hurt and angry responses from Japanese netizens indicate that it is still far too soon for the Fukushima nuclear accident to taken lightly.
From Yahoo! Japan:
”Japanese People Should Eat Healthy Fukushima Cherries” – Korean Papers Applaud Performer’s Reckless Joke About Radioactivity
In response to a banner held up at a soccer match between Japan and Korea, a perform on a Korean television program performed jokes that ridiculed Japan and referenced the nuclear accident in Fukushima. For example, he said “I sent those cheering Japanese fans some cherries grown in Fukushima!”
The program was the episode of “Gag Concert” shown on the Korean public broadcasting channel KBS2 on August 4th, 2013. On that day, the Korean comedian Kwak Beom (26) made an appearance and immediately began remarking on the match between Korea and Japan.
■ If the Korean MC Tries to Eat Them…
According to the Korean newspapers that reported on the program, such as Sports Chosun and the Dong-a Ilbo, Kwak began by saying, “Even though Korea lost the match to Japan, the support for both teams was a great image.” He continued, “The Japanese fans were even waving the rising sun flag as they cheered. So, I sent them a present.” At the same time, he took some cherries out of his pocket. “They’re healthy Fukushima cherries.”
Cherries are Fukushima prefecture’s most famous local specialty. It seems he was trying to say they were contaminated with radioactivity from the Fukushima nuclear accident. Incidentally, Fukushima prefecture has released an official announcement that Fukushima cherries are safe to eat.
In response to this “gag,” the venue erupted into explosive laughter. When another actor said, “I’ll eat them, too,” and reached for the cherries, Kwak stopped him, saying, “’Shindo Fuji’ (Buddhist saying meaning that local food is most compatible with local people), right? This is food that only those people must eat.”
■ Korean Newspaper: “A Forceful Jab at Rude Japan”
These words are like pouring salt in the wounds of the people putting all their energy into reconstructing local agriculture as the Fukushima region continues to suffer financial damage due to the spread of misinformation after the nuclear accident. However, Kwak is received even more applause in return.
The Korean media is uniformly reporting favorably about the joke, with statements such as, “It was a forceful jab at rude Japanese fans.” On the Internet, there are some voices expressing criticism like, “Say what you like, but that statement was dangerous for foreign affairs.” Even so, the joke seems to be generally popular within Korea, with Internet reactions including “I was refreshed by that sarcastic joke” and “The Fukushima cherry joke was thrilling.”
