▲ This image, captured from the YouTube channel of the French news channel LCI on Jan. 2, 2024, shows the South Korean flag (R) with the wrong red circle in the center. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
▲ This file photo, provided by the Donghae Coast Guard on Aug. 14, 2023, shows its crew members saluting, with a South Korean national flag spread in front, during a ceremony marking the 78th anniversary of South Korea's liberation from Japan's colonial rule, held in waters near South Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo two days earlier. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

(LEAD) French news channel-S Korean flag

(LEAD) French news channel comes under criticism after airing wrong S. Korean flag akin to Japan's flag

(ATTN: ADDS S. Korean official's comments in last 2 paras)

By Kim Seung-yeon

PARIS/SEOUL, Jan. 2 (Yonhap) -- A French news channel has received a deluge of criticism from viewers around the world after it aired an image of South Korea's national flag with the wrong symbol in the middle that appears similar to the red circle in the Japanese flag.

The private TV broadcaster LCI used the wrong graphic during an afternoon news show Sunday (local time) while running a report on the outcome of North Korea's key meeting of its ruling Workers' Party.

A screen behind a reporter shows the flags of the two Koreas, except that the South Korean flag has a red circle in the center, instead of the Taegeuk circle in red and blue.

The four black trigrams that surround the Taegeuk symbol were in the correct form and order. There was no error on the North Korean flag.

More than 124,000 viewers have seen this news clip on the LCI's YouTube channel, with hundreds of comments in French, Korean and English leveling criticism at the news report as being "insulting."

Many of the comments made reference to the historical feud between South Korea and Japan from the 1910-45 period when Korea was under Japan's colonial rule.

"Do you realize the gross error made on the display of the South Korean flag at the start of the report? It's really huge, especially when you know the history between Korea and Japan," one comment in French read.

"This is very unpleasant. If you knew our history, there could not have been a 'mistake' as offensive as this," another comment said in Korean.

Another comment likened the incident to the French flag being edited to include a swastika from the flag of Nazi Germany.

A foreign ministry official in Seoul said the diplomatic mission in Paris contacted the broadcaster to find out about the circumstances that led to the incident and request a correction of the error and measures to prevent a recurrence.

"Considering the time difference, we expect to be able to learn more about it later today," the official said.

(END)

[ⓒ K-VIBE. 무단전재-재배포 금지]