Who knew a mustache could be so…controversial. Well for Harry Harris, our Ambassador to the Republic of Korea, it was a source of intrigue and contention. Harris is Japanese-American, and his mustache apparently invoked painful memories of past Japanese governors-generals who administered Korea during the brutal 1910-1945 annexation and occupation. The BBC noted in January why Harris’ facial hair became more of an issue with Koreans:
Mr Harris, 63, has been US ambassador at a time of heightened tensions between South Korea and Japan.
Those tensions were inflamed in November 2018, when South Korean court rulings ordered Japanese firms to pay compensation to Koreans over forced labour during World War Two.
Then, in August 2019, Japan announced it was going to remove South Korea's favoured trade partner status, deepening the acrimony.
In the context of these disputes, Mr Harris's moustache - and his Japanese heritage - have become more controversial.
In an interview with a local radio station, a ruling party lawmaker compared him with a governor-general of the Japanese government during the colonial period.
That sentiment was echoed by the Korea Times, which last month said Mr Harris's moustache "has become associated with the latest US image of being disrespectful and even coercive toward Korea".
"Harris often has been ridiculed for not being an ambassador, but a governor-general," the paper added.
World War Two-era Japanese military leaders such as Hideki Tojo, Sadao Araki and Shunroku Hata all sported Mr Harris's type of moustache.
