At the Osaka-Kansai World Expo (hereinafter referred to as Osaka Expo) held in Osaka, Japan, the sale of the first barley carbonated drink in South Korea, 'McCol', has been suspended due to the fact that it is a product of a corporation affiliated with the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (hereinafter referred to as Family Federation, formerly known as Unification Church).
According to the Sankei Shimbun on the 14th, the company operating a booth selling K-pop goods, Korean cosmetics, and Korean food at the Osaka Expo, which opened on the 14th of last month, recently stopped selling McCol.
The controversy began at the end of April when a photo of McCol displayed at the booth was posted on social media (SNS). As the controversy over the sale of products related to the Unification Church spread, the Japan Association for the Promotion of International Exhibitions requested fact-checking from the company.
This company is a Korean food import and distribution corporation based in Tokyo. The association noted, "The company claimed it was unaware that the product was manufactured by an affiliate of the Unification Church," adding, "(As the controversy arose) they voluntarily stopped selling (McCol)."
McCol is a product of the food and beverage corporation 'Ilhwa', an affiliate of the Family Federation, and was released in 1982. Sankei reported that McCol has a dedicated fan base while also being nicknamed 'the world's tasteless cola' due to its unique flavor, stating, "It was widely sold in Japan during the 1980s, and there was a time when advertisements featuring singer Cho Yong-pil were broadcast, but instances of cans bursting have led to it currently being sold only in certain Korean supermarkets."
Founded in Korea in 1954, the Family Federation has been active in Japan since 1964 after being recognized as a religious corporation. However, it has become a social issue as it was revealed that the organization coerced its followers to make large donations or bought expensive items claiming such purchases were necessary to alleviate their ancestors’ suffering and ensure the prosperity of descendants.
In particular, in July 2022, Tetsuya Yamagami, who shot and killed former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, caused a significant stir in Japanese society by revealing, "My family fell apart because my mother made enormous donations to the Unification Church."
In response, the Tokyo District Court accepted the dissolution order for the Family Federation requested by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology on March 25. At that time, the court stated that "unprecedented large-scale damage had occurred," ordering the dissolution based on the Religious Corporations Law. The reason was that the number of people harmed by donations exceeded 1,500, with damages reaching 20.4 billion yen (approximately 2 billion won).
However, Shinichi Tokunaga, a legal representative of the organizations affiliated with the Family Federation, stated regarding the suspension of McCol sales at the Osaka Expo that "excluding foreign products is not only an overreaction but also a display of hate speech," adding, "Japanese people should calmly consider the dangers of social prejudice."
Meanwhile, as of the end of last year, McCol recorded cumulative sales of 6.4 billion cans. Currently, McCol is exported to the United States, Japan, Russia, Australia, and South Africa.