South Korea makes Asian Games complaint over Japan warlord ceremony

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Seoul, South Korea: South Korea’s Olympic committee has officially filed a formal complaint with Asian Games organisers in Nagoya following a welcoming ceremony that featured a controversial Japanese warlord. 

The incident instantly triggered a fierce backlash due to painful historical sensitivities between the neighbouring nations.

The Tuesday welcoming event featured three Japanese warlord characters including a performer dressed as Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who famously led Japanese invasions of Korea from 1592 to 1598 upon the arrival of a cruise ship designated as a floating hotel for games athletes. 

In response, Korean Sport & Olympic Committee president Ryu Seung-min sent an official letter to the local organising committee and the Olympic Council of Asia expressing regret and demanding preventive measures.

Historical grievances deeply strain Seoul-Tokyo relations, with Hideyoshi's historical invasions compounding trauma from Japan's later colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula from 1910 to 1945. 

Seoul data indicates that roughly 780,000 Koreans were conscripted into forced labor during this dark chapter, a figure that excludes women forced into military sexual slavery.

Event organisers responded by stating the performance was never intended to praise specific historical figures or communicate historical messages.

They acknowledged the diverse international audience and pledged to ensure future programs remain appropriate for all participants.