If there’s one thing that the gold-medalist archer An San of South Korea knows how to do as well as she shoots her arrows, it’s speaking her mind. Back in 2021, when she didn’t budge at the blatant hate toward her short hair—amid a strong wave of anti-feminism sentiment forming among the Korean male population—she became an icon.
Actress Goo Hye Sun Shows Support For S. Korean Olympics Archer An San, Against The “Anti-Feminist” Hate For Her Hairstyle
Fast forward to 2024, An San stirred up the internet once again…
…this time, with an Instagram Stories update.
Sharing a picture of what seems like an airport in Japan at first glance, An San commented, “There are tons of traitors in Korea.”
With research, though, netizens became aware that An San was not, in fact, in Japan but at a Japanese-themed food court (as part of a Japanese-themed street inside a shopping mall) in Gwangju.
And while An San herself did not reveal the food court’s name or pinpoint one business in her update, it became evident that An San was expressing discontent toward the massive influence of Japanese culture in her hometown—a place of great historic significance in Korea.
Netizens then commented, via online communities like theqoo, that the restaurant (and its “Japanese roots”) left a sour taste in their mouths—pointing out the never-ending political tension between South Korea and Japan, deeply rooted in their complex past.
Over a thousand comments sided with An San, who received some backlash for her update, and called out fellow Koreans who “find it acceptable” to let businesses “hang up signs in all Japanese and use the Japanese yen on their menus” while operating in Korea.
- “People hating on An San need to re-learn Korean history.”
- “TBH, I think An San should sue the mayor for this. LMAO.”
- “I don’t understand [Japanese] signs like those… Hanging up a signage filled with their language feels no different from when Japan colonized us. So I support An San. She said what she said, and she had all the right.”
- “Go, An San!”
- “It does make me feel uncomfortable whenever I see businesses plastered in Japanese. And since it’s not like An San attacked one business, I don’t think she’s at fault here.”
- “It is true that Korea is a land of traitors. And I get that the business is a Japanese restaurant. But using the Japanese language and decorating the street to look like Japan? It feels a bit weird.”
- “TBH, I was surprised at the number of people who were upset with An San for her update… Now I’m curious, can I pay with the Japanese yen if I dine there? The menu suggests I do.”
- “Go, An San!”
- “Hang in there, An San.”
- “Korea was victim to war crimes and colonization. Of course, running a completely Japanese-themed business won’t be accepted all that well.”
Following the archer’s comment and the heated reactions, the owner Kwon Soon Ho of Special Night, a franchise brand photographed in An San’s update, addressed it via the brand’s official social media account.
Hello. I’m Kwon Soon Ho, the CEO of Special Night, a brand that has been accused of being traitorous to Korea…
…I launched this brand themed after Osaka, Japan as the pandemic was coming to an end. Traveling was still restricted, so I planned the brand around a trip to Japan…
…because of [An San’s comment], I’m being accused of a descendent of a pro-Japan traitor. Other franchise owners and I are receiving death threats and malicious comments, calling us traitorous and unpatriotic…
…As a rookie CEO, I’m not sure how to handle situations like this. But I hope that the criticism will come to an end soon.
— Kwon Soon Ho
Those in support of Kwon and “Special Night” are accusing An San of overstepping her boundaries, all the while being hypocritical—attacking a small business owner using her position as a quasi-celeb athlete with a huge social media following.
- “We’re getting a lot of DMs, too. Hang in there, Mr. CEO. And hwaiting to all Special Night locations!”
- “You know what’s the funniest thing, though? All of An San’s equipment is from Japan. And she collects Pokemon plushies, too.”
- “The accounts criticizing the brand are all private or burners? Makes me wonder, LMAO.”
- “I can’t believe this man is getting hate for building a Japanese food restaurant inside a Japanese-themed street.”
While the update has since disappeared, and An San has not followed up with the buzz that it created, Koreans remain going head-to-head in debate over whether the archer’s comment (and the fire that followed) was out of line or well-deserved for the brand.
Source: Maeil and theqoo (1) and (2)
