YG’s TREASURE faces Dokdo Representation controversy: SM’s past Japan Sea Label issue resurfaces

Amidst the recent controversy surrounding the group TREASURE for their representation of Dokdo, a past issue involving SM’s SuperM and labeling the Japan Sea has also come under renewed scrutiny.

TREASURE, currently conducting a large-scale fan meeting in Japan, has released the schedule for their Japanese concert tour titled ‘REBOOT.’

According to the publicly disclosed schedule, TREASURE will begin their Japanese tour in Fukuoka on January 6, 2014, and continue through Saitama, Nagoya, Osaka, Fukui, and Hiroshima until the end of February.

The issue arose concerning the map illustration that was released along with the schedule. In the background of the tour schedule and in the publicly released videos, a map was displayed that only showed the Ulleungdo area, with Dokdo omitted.

In 2020, SM Entertainment’s SuperM, an affiliated group, launched an English website. On that website, a map was available for reference, which labeled the East Sea as the Japan Sea, sparking controversy. Additionally, Dokdo was labeled as “Liengcourt Rocks.”

At the time, SM Entertainment did not provide a specific statement on the matter but later removed the map, putting an end to the controversy.

While some argue that such issues can arise during business dealings with overseas partners, netizens expressed opinions such as, “Final verification is YG’s responsibility, and it’s something they should check,” “I don’t understand why this keeps happening,” “Thorough verification is necessary,” “Is this about trying to please Japan?” and “Feedback is necessary.”

YG Entertainment has maintained silence regarding this controversy.

Meanwhile, after concluding their fan meeting in Japan, TREASURE will hold a solo concert titled ‘REBOOT’ at Seoul Olympic Park KSPO DOME from December 15 to 17. This marks their first solo concert in approximately 13 months.

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