Newcastle United, ahead of their visit to Korea, has finally apologized.

They became embroiled in controversy by exposing a war flag before the Asia preseason tour. Newcastle revealed a horrifying scene in a promotional video for their third uniform.

Newcastle stated on their official social media on the 2nd (Korean time), "Some scenes in the introduction video of the 2025-2026 season third uniform may have unintentionally caused offense. That part has been immediately removed, and we sincerely apologize."

Newcastle took steps to quell the controversy by re-releasing a new video that edited the problematic scenes.

According to major local media outlets such as the BBC, the original video featured several fans, including singer Sam Fender, wearing Newcastle uniforms. Among them, two fans holding flags became an issue. The flag, displaying a red radiating pattern reminiscent of Japan's war flag, triggered immediate criticism, particularly among Korean fans who captured the footage.

The war flag symbolizes Japanese imperialism and served as a representative war flag for Japanese militarism during the Pacific War. In the same context as the Nazi swastika, it serves as a reminder of the pain of invasion for many Asian countries. Accordingly, the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) strictly prohibits the use of war flags on the international stage.

This mistake by Newcastle has caused a bigger stir, not just as a simple editing error, but occurring at a particularly sensitive time. Newcastle is set to face the K League All-Star Team on the 30th at Suwon World Cup Stadium, and on the 3rd of next month, they will play a preseason friendly match against Tottenham Hotspur at Seoul World Cup Stadium. Both matches are part of the 'Coupang Play Series' and are aimed at engaging directly with Korean fans.

The video quickly spread online, and domestic fans continued to criticize it, stating comments like "lack of historical awareness" and "inappropriate at this time before their visit to Korea." Some fans even demanded that Newcastle cancel their trip.

As signs of the controversy spreading emerged, Newcastle hurried to apologize, but Korean fans' sentiments have not easily subsided. Particularly disappointing is the oversight of historical sensitivity amidst the tour schedule aimed at capturing the Asian market.

This incident serves once again as a reminder that a single marketing video in the sports industry can affect sentiments between countries. It remains to be seen how Newcastle will proceed in restoring trust with their fans.

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