Why Is the Flag of South Korea in Japan's National Football Team Promotion Image?... 'Geon, Gon, Gam, Ri Trigrams Are Visible'

[Financial News] After the Japan Football Association (JFA) unveiled an image to promote the Japan national football team, many have pointed out that it reminds them of the Flag of South Korea.
Sankei Shimbun reported on the 13th that the Japan Football Association (JFA) sparked controversy after revealing a promotional image for the Japan national football team on the 10th, coinciding with the 'JFA·Adidas, Japan National Football Team 2026 Campaign Joint Presentation.'
The image features 'JI BLUE,' the official ambassador for the Japan national football team, as the model.
JI BLUE was formed by gathering 12 members who love football from the Japanese boy groups JO1 and INI.
These members are dressed in blue uniforms and positioned atop a red circle on a white background, reminiscent of the Flag of Japan. In each of the four corners, black 'three-stripe' graphics symbolizing Adidas are inserted.
After the image was released, comments appeared on social networking services (SNS) such as, "It reminds me of the Flag of South Korea," "The color combination and arrangement of red, blue, and black look like the Flag of South Korea," and "Placing the (graphic) shapes divided into three parts in the four corners seems like a deliberate attempt to evoke the Flag of South Korea."
In fact, the three stripes are reminiscent of the Geon, Gon, Gam, Ri trigrams from the Flag of South Korea, and the placement of members in blue uniforms below the red circle brings to mind the Taegeuk symbol.
In response to these observations, the Japan Football Association stated, "There was no intention to evoke the Flag of South Korea when creating the design," and explained, "This image was produced to introduce the ambassadors and follows the same concept as the portraits of the national team manager and players released in March."
y27k@fnnews.com Seo Yoon-kyung Reporter