Super Junior’s Kim Heechul Apologizes After Misreading Taegeukgi Banner

Kim Heechul Thought a Korean Flag Was Upside Down, Then the Viewing Angle Was Explained

Super Junior member Kim Heechul has apologized after accusing an Incheon Liberation Day banner of depicting South Korea’s national flag incorrectly.

On Aug. 9, Kim addressed the controversy through social media, acknowledging that he had reacted to the central taegeuk symbol without fully considering the perspective of the complete illustration.

“Although people may be confused to see an apology from me after only one day, I did something wrong,” he wrote. “I failed to properly recognize the way the person was holding it and became angry after looking only at the taegeuk symbol.”

He added that his poor spatial interpretation and rushed response were responsible for the mistake, describing it as clearly his fault and offering an apology.

Why the Flag Appeared to Be Reversed

The controversy began with banners installed near the rear entrance of Incheon City Hall ahead of Korea’s 81st Liberation Day on Aug. 15.

The artwork showed an independence activist holding a Taegeukgi overhead with both hands. Viewed in isolation, the central red-and-blue taegeuk appeared to some observers to be inverted, prompting online accusations that the city had used an incorrectly designed national flag.

Kim joined the criticism by leaving a profane comment that roughly conveyed, “This is seriously crazy.”

Incheon officials subsequently explained that the illustration was composed from a low-angle perspective. The viewer was meant to be looking upward from beneath the flag held by the activist. When that visual direction is taken into account, the taegeuk was not simply printed upside down.

The distinction is important because the image was an illustration of a flag seen from an unconventional position, not a standard Taegeukgi displayed flat or attached to a flagpole.

Banner Removed to Prevent Further Misunderstanding

Incheon removed the banner on Aug. 8, but the removal was not presented as an admission that the Taegeukgi itself had been designed incorrectly.

The city explained that it took down the artwork to prevent further misunderstanding after the intended viewing angle proved difficult for some people to recognize.

The incident illustrates a broader problem in public design. An image can be technically consistent with an artist’s intended perspective while still failing to communicate that perspective clearly to viewers. With a national symbol as closely regulated and emotionally significant as the Taegeukgi, ambiguity can quickly develop into controversy.

According to South Korea’s Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the Taegeukgi consists of a white background, a red-and-blue taegeuk at its center and four black trigrams representing heaven, earth, water and fire. Its modern construction is governed by standardized rules, making any apparent change to its orientation particularly noticeable.

Kim Heechul Explains Why He Reacted So Strongly

In his apology, Kim said that he had become increasingly sensitive after encountering other cases in which the Taegeukgi appeared to be hung or represented incorrectly.

Referring to a Korean expression about becoming frightened by something harmless after a previous scare, he suggested that accumulated frustration influenced his immediate reaction. He did not identify the earlier videos, photographs or incidents he had in mind.

Kim nevertheless did not use that frustration to excuse his mistake.

“I failed to examine the image carefully,” he wrote. “It is only natural to apologize when you have done something wrong, so please criticize me for not being cautious.”

He concluded by expressing hope that the Taegeukgi would not be distorted or associated with unnecessary misunderstandings in the future.

A Correction Without an Excuse

Kim’s response is significant because it separates his concern for the national flag from the accuracy of his accusation. His attachment to the symbol may explain why he reacted emotionally, but it did not make the original criticism correct.

The available explanation from Incheon indicates that the controversy resulted from an unclear visual perspective rather than a straightforward reversed-flag error. Kim accepted that distinction and publicly took responsibility for responding before examining the full composition.

What began as an angry comment therefore ended with a more useful point: when an image causes outrage online, especially one involving a national symbol, perspective and context still need to be checked before blame is assigned.