The Japanese government marked Dokdo island as its territory on the map on Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics website. Upon taking this opportunity of hosting the Olympics, Japan is trying to announce the world of the claim that Dokdo belongs to Japan.

Above all, when the Olympics are over, the Japanese government will publicize Dokdo as ‘Takeshima’ on textbooks and world maps around the world, based on the Tokyo Olympics homepage which marked Dokdo as Japanese territory.

This is not the first time Japan has acted like this.

Through the archives of Tokyo Metropolitan Library, Japan has already marked Dokdo as its territory on the 1964 Tokyo Olympic torch relay map.

The problem here is that the Japanese government has demanded a ban to the IOC, arguing that Korea marking Dokdo on 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics homepage and that Dokdo being marked on the Korean Peninsula Flag, as political acts against the spirit of the Olympics.

Back then, the Korean government accepted the IOC’s recommendation and erased Dokdo from Pyeonchang Winter Olympics homepage and the Korean Peninsula Flag.

As of 2021, the problem with the Japanese government’s marking Dokdo as its own territory on the Tokyo Olympic website is that the IOC is against equity since the IOC had already intervened to remove Dokdo from the Korean Peninsula flag in response to Japan’s protests during the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.

Also, even though the IOC strictly prohibits drawing sports into politics, it is turning a blind eye to the Japanese government’s provocative actions that directly violate the spirit of the Olympics.

The IOC that recommended erasing Dokdo from the Korean Peninsula Flag during the Pyeongchang Olympics is showing no concern regarding labeling Dokdo by Japan on the Tokyo Olympics.

This is not the first time that the IOC became a puppet of the Japanese government.

When the Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic Games announced that it will allow carrying the Rising Sun Flag on the Olympic arenas, the IOC didn’t stop this.

The IOC itself is not following its own Olympic Charter Rule 50(2) which prescribes that ‘No kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas’.

Accordingly, VANK is trying to gather international critical public opinion, telling the world that the IOC is being used as a spokesperson and a puppet of the Japanese government.

In order for this to happen, VANK has created Digital Posters in various languages and started a campaign to tell the world of this phenomenon through social media channels.

The poster shows the Rising Sun Flag, symbolizing Japan’s imperial ambitions, using the IOC as a puppet.

We condemn the conduct of Japanese government which is politicizing sports through the IOC.

The poster also introduces a Global Petition link that criticizes IOC’s conduct acting as a spokesperson of the Japanese government.

VANK has sent a letter of protest to Thomas Bach, the President of the IOC, calling on that the IOC should officially request the Japanese government to erase Dokdo from its maps as the IOC did in Pyeongchang.

If the IOC does not wish to spread the stigma of being a puppet of Japan in the international community, VANK demands that the IOC strongly oppress the Japanese government to remove the Dokdo mark from the Tokyo Olympic homepage in line with the Olympic spirit of pursuing peace and goodwill.

The IOC should prevent the Japanese government from politicizing sports, a symbol of world peace, and using the IOC as a leverage to inform the world of the claim that Dokdo belongs to Japan.

VANK believes that in order to stop IOC from being a puppet of Japanese government, people who are interested in this issue should actively tell the world of this issue.

VANK expects you to join the Global Petition and the Global Poster campaign.

We accuse China’s cultural imperialism hidden behind games!

VANK is starting a global campaign that alerts the world of China’s cultural imperialism that promotes history distortion and cultural invasion with games.

Recently, it became a big problem when Chinese games distorted Korean traditional cultures such as hanbok and gat as Chinese ones. In November, 2020, commemorating the launch of Chinese game ‘Shining Nikki’ in Korea, the company started selling hanbok items. Then, Chinese users strongly protested, saying, “Hanbok is Chinese”, and eventually the company reversed its sales of hanbok items under pressure from Chinese public opinion, and withdrew from Korea. Also, the Chinese game “Sky: Children of the Light” marked the ‘gat’ item as a Korean historical hat. In response, Chinese users strongly protested, saying, “Gat is a Chinese costume.” Eventually, the CEO of the game company officially apologized, saying, “When designing this hat item, we referenced many elements of China.”

A bigger problem is that China’s Korean history distortion through games will be intensified.

The Chinese government has introduced a new scoring system for authorization of game services(a.k.a. 版号 bǎnhào). The new scoring system is divided into five categories : “idea orientation”, “original design”, “production quality”, “cultural connotation”, and “level of development”. The best for each category is 5 points, and the game service is permitted only when an average of 3 or more is scored. However, if even one category gets 0 points, approval of the game service authorization will be rejected.

Particularly problematic are two categories; “idea orientation” and “cultural connotation”. It is stated that the “idea orientation” category evaluates whether the game theme, player role, and main play method conform to “Socialist core values”, and the “cultural connotation” category judges whether the game could disseminate “China’s remarkable culture”.

After all, in order for an individual or a company to release a game in China, they must praise Socialism even if they are against their own ideas, and must remain silent without expressing their national identity.

By systematically controlling the expressions of ideology and culture in games, the Chinese government intends to use the domestic game market as a channel for promoting ‘Culture Project’.

Accordingly, Voluntary Agency Network of Korea, VANK, tells world citizens of Chinese government’s excessive nationalism with games through Global Petition and Global Posters.

On the poster created by VANK states, “We accuse China’s cultural imperialism hidden behind games! Stop China’s cultural imperialist policy of promoting history distortion and cultural invasion with games!” with the Global Petition link.

VANK also started a petition on world’s biggest petition site that the Chinese government’s addition of “Socialism” and “dissemination of China’s remarkable culture” as criteria for approving games discriminates against people of different ideologies, political views, and ethnic origins by limiting their freedom to form, express, and communicate their opinions freely.

Through the Global Petition, VANK intends to tell the world citizens of China’s conduct that unilaterally imposes Chinese ideas and cultures with games on world citizens.

VANK also demands the UNHRC(United Nations Human Rights Council) to express concern over Chinese government’s racist policy on game scoring system that violates freedom of expression, and that the Chinese government should review its new scoring system for authorization of game services.

You can stop China’s cultural imperialism that promotes history distortion and cultural invasion with games by joining the Global Petition and promoting Digital Posters.

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VANK has been promoting global petitions and digital poster distribution activities to inform the global community of China’s history distortion that steals the history of Goguryeo and Balhae of Korea, and China’s cultural hegemony that steals Korean culture such as hanbok, gat, kimchi of Korea.

VANK is going to make peace in East Asia by publicizing the issue of China’s history and culture distortion with Korean youths, Koreans around the world, and with 100 million Korean Wave fans around the world.

People around the world are suffering from

illegal fishing by Chinese vessels, the outlaws of the sea.

Join the Global Petition to stop Chinese illegal fishing vessels!

VANK(Voluntary Agency Network of Korea) launches a global campaign to alert the world about Chinese illegal fishing vessels.

In recent years, anger over illegal fishing by Chinese vessels has increased.

According to a report by the Korean government, the number of illegal Chinese fishing vessels in the waters near the Northern Limit Line on the west coast of Korea soared to an average of 240 per day of April this year.

In addition, Chinese fishing vessels are causing a big problem due to illegal fishing in many places around the world beyond Korea. The Wall Street Journal reported on April 21 that complaints were rising due to the aggressive illegal fishing of Chinese fishing fleets spreading across the world’s oceans. According to the report, concerns over Chinese fishing fleets are raised from the East China Sea to the coasts of Africa and South America. It is said that Chinese fishing fleets in groups of dozens or hundreds of vessels are invading the territorial waters or using illegal equipment to engage in “clean-sweep operations”.

The global community should come together and stop illegal fishing by Chinese vessels, the outlaws of the sea!

Accordingly, VANK is promoting a global campaign to spread the issue of Chinese fishing vessels invading the Korean territorial waters and illegal fishing around the world as an international issue, gathering global public opinion and put pressure on the Chinese government.

First of all, VANK created Digital Posters in Korean and English to tell the world about this issue through social media channels. The poster tells the Chinese illegal fishing issue with the description; “People around the world are suffering from illegal fishing by Chinese vessels, the outlaws of the sea. Join the Global Petition to stop Chinese illegal fishing vessels!”

VANK also started a global petition on the world biggest petition site to tell the world about Chinese illegal fishing vessels issue.

For the eternal friendship of Korea and France,

we request the complete return of ‘Uigwe’

that Koreans’ souls dwell in.

VANK(Voluntary Agency Network of Korea) launches a global campaign to gather global public opinion to fully return the ownership of Oegyujanggak Uigwe.

Following the inauguration of French President Macron, France began returning cultural heritages that were plundered by French army in Africa during colonial rule.

Now is the time to permanently return the ownership of Oegyujanggak Uigwe to Korea, as France is pursuing a policy of returning cultural heritages that were forcibly looted during the imperialist era.

France returned the Oegyujanggak Uigwe (a book that summarized the royal events of Joseon Dynasty in writing and painting), which was plundered during the French expedition to Korea in 1866 during French colonial empire, in the form of ‘permanent-loan’ to the Republic of Korea in April 2011.

However, it was not a ‘full return’. There was a condition that the rental(loan) had to be renewed every five years, and even now, the ownership of Uigwe is in the French National Library(BnF: Bibliothèque nationale de France), not the Republic of Korea, so the Republic of Korea cannot independently display and utilize it.

Above all, because the Oegyujanggak Uigwe is not fully owned by the Republic of Korea government, it cannot be designated as National Treasure of Korea.

Now, the time has come for France to make a great decision to return permanently not only of the cultural heritages that were looted during the colonial rule in African countries, but also to the Oegyujanggak Uigwe that was plundered from Joseon during the time of imperialism.

Accordingly, VANK started a global petition for the complete return of Oegyujanggak Uigwe on the world’s biggest petition site, and created and started distributing digital posters in Korean, English, and French through social media worldwide.

The poster describes “For the eternal friendship of Korea and France, we request the complete return of ‘Uigwe’ that Koreans’ souls dwell in.”

Japanese right-wing textbooks

that beautified “Great East Asia War”

with photos of attack on Pearl Harbor

have been certified.

Japanese teens are about to learn with textbooks

that distorted the Pacific War into “Great East Asia War for Asian Peace”,

and the Russo-Japanese War into Asian independence movement.

Please join the Global Petition to prevent Japanese teens

from learning the textbooks that glorified the war of aggression.

Distorted history textbooks teach war to the next generations of Japan.

Voluntary Agency Network of Korea (VANK) is starting a global campaign to tell the people around the world of Japanese government that certified middle school history textbooks that glorified Japan’s war of aggression.

VANK started a Global Petition demanding Japanese government to stop intervening on history education and to revise distorted textbooks on the world’s biggest petition site in order to tell the international community of Japan’s reviving militarism.

Japanese history textbooks describe distorted contents such as ‘Dokdo is inherent part of the territory of Japan, and the Republic of Korea has been occupying it illegally.’, ‘The Russo-Japanese war awakened many Asian countries of independence and gave them hope.’

Also, a middle school textbook inserted a photo of American USS Arizona wrapped in flames. with the description that ‘Japan named the war as “Great East Asia War”.’

The phrase “Great East Asia War” is recognized as Japan gathered up Asia to fight against the Western Powers, and it implies the intention of concealing colonial rule and justifying war of aggression.

The future of Japanese teenagers who have learned the history that glorified the imperialist war of aggression can lead to the revival of Japan’s militarism.

Accordingly, VANK created Digital posters in Korean and English in order to tell the world of Japanese government’s glorification of militarism, and to prevent Japanese students from learning distorted history.

The poster shows a Japanese national flag synthesized with a photo of USS Arizona wrapped in flames, and arranged the desks that Japanese middle school students will use, facing the flag,

VANK will keep trying to tell the global community of Japan’s history distortion, and make peace in East Asia.

Baidu Baike should rectify its homepage’s history distortion of Goguryeo and Balhae!

It is absurd to say that Joseon has been a subordinate state of China since the ancient times.

All these errors are from the brush tips of historians, and we need to correct these things.

– Zhou Enlai, ex-Premier of China –

If the Chinese government and Chinese nationals deny the words of their ex-premier, who would trust China in the future?

Voluntary Agency Network of Korea (VANK) is starting a global campaign to tell the people around the world of famous Chinese encyclopedia’s hegemonic conduct that distorted the Korean history of Goguryeo and Balhae as Chinese history.

Accordingly, VANK introduces ex-premier Zhou Enlai’s comment that claimed history distortion by China should be corrected, with the script, “If the Chinese government and Chinese nationals deny the words of their ex-premier, who would trust China in the future?” on the Global Poster that introduces the Global Petition, to people around the world through social media.

Along with the Global Poster, VANK started a Global Petition that reports the world of China’s distortion on Korean history of Goguryeo and Balhae on change.org, the most well-known petition site to Europeans and people living in the Americas.

<petition link>

maywespeak.com/goguryeo

“I would recommend

Korea’s samgyetang to China.”

“If Korea’s samgyetang and its recipe

is introduced to China,

many people will enjoy it.”

ㅡ Li Keqiang, premier of China ㅡ

If China itself denies the words of its premier

who said samgyetang is Korean food,

who would trust China in the future?

Voluntary Agency Network of Korea (VANK) is starting a global campaign to tell the people around the world of famous Chinese encyclopedia’s hegemonic conduct that distorted Korea’s samgyetang as Chinese cuisine.

Accordingly, VANK introduces premier Li Keqiang’s comment that admitted samgyetang is Korean food with the script, “If China itself denies the words of its premier who said samgyetang is Korean food, who would trust China in the future?” on the Global Poster that introduces the Global Petition, to people around the world through social media.

Along with the Global Poster, VANK started a Global Petition that reports the world of China’s distortion on Korean food samgyetang on change.org, the most well-known petition site to Europeans and people living in the Americas.

<petition link>

maywespeak.com/samgyetang

What if a novel that claims a daughter of a Nazi officer was raped by Jewish people, is used as a required textbook for American middle schools?

“So Far from the Bamboo Grove”, the novel that turns a perpetrator into a victim and a rapist into a victim!

Schools and the Department of Education of every state should stop using this book!

VANK has started a Global Petition on world’s largest petition site in order to stop using “So Far from the Bamboo Grove” in American middles chools, and created a poster to tell the world the truth about the novel.

The campaign began with creating and distributing Korean and English Digital Posters that says “So Far from the Bamboo Grove”, the novel that turns a perpetrator into a victim and a rapist into a victim!” on social media, and started a petition on change.org.

“So Far From the Bamboo Grove” is an autobiographical novel by American-Japanese Yoko Kawashima Watkins published in 1986.

The book follows the plot of an 11-year-old Japanese girl Yoko, who lived with her mother and older sister, returning to Japan from North Hamgyeong Province, Korea, and her hard life in Japan around the end of World War Ⅱ.

However, in this novel, Koreans are described as wicked people and racists who raped and assaulted Japanese people who are returning home after the defeat of the War, while Japanese people are portrayed as unjust victims and wartime refugees.

If a student learns the contents of this book without knowing the history of East Asia and the history of Korea during the Japanese colonial period, the student will perceive history as distorted, as if Koreans were perpetrators and Japanese were victims. What’s worse is that this book, known to vividly depict the horrors of war that lasted long in the past, and because of its excellence literary value, this book is being used as an anti-war textbook for American schools, teachers, and teenagers.

In 2007, protest campaigns by Korean Americans led California State Government to expel the book from public schools, but it is still adopted as a “required reading” book in eight states, including Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Massachusetts, Nevada, Ohio, South Carolina, and Utah.

“So Far From the Bamboo Grove” cunningly introduces a “novel” as if it were a “true story”. On the back cover of the book states “It’s a true story of courage and survival”, but on the other hand, on the second page of the book says “Summary: A fictionalized autobiography in which eleven-year-old Yoko escapes from Korea to Japan at the end of World War Ⅱ.”

It is said that the “truth” is the first thing to be sacrificed in war. To say that a novel that distorts the truth contains a “true story” is in itself absurd. The novel should not yet be taught to students in middle school all over the U.S. as if it were a true story.

If one learns the novel without knowing about Imperialist Japan’s 35 years of forced occupation of the Korean Peninsula and the invasion of Asia, the one will understand the history of Asians, including Koreans suffering from Imperialist Japan, with misunderstandings and prejudices.

This novel added distortion to the truth that has already been damaged by the war itself. It is not an easy task to correct distortions of damaged truth and make it known in right way. However, correcting the distortions that have been prevalent in this book for nearly 40 years and bringing the truth right must begin now.

Accordingly, VANK requests Department of Education of eight states that have been confirmed to use the novel in classes to stop using “So Far from the Bamboo Grove” in classes.

Join VANK’s Global Petition and share Digital Posters to stop the use of “So Far From the Bamboo Grove” in American middle schools!

<petition link>

maywespeak.com/school

On the left side of the poster shows a front page of the novel, and on the right side describes “Schools and the Department of Education of every state should stop using this book!”, with the phrase of the Global Petition.

Join the global petition to save the lives of the people in Myanmar!

VANK created digital posters in Korean and English that condemn Myanmar’s military and police suppression of violence to the international community and is publicizing the posters all over the world through social media.

The poster depicts a scene of a nun crying out “You may as well shoot me” with both hands raised, pleading the military and police to stop using violence against the protesters,

As the Myanmar police has taken down the guns at the outcrying nun, VANK is pleading to the international community to be in solidarity and sympathize with the pain of Myanmar people, so that the Myanmar military and police’s suppression of violence could be stopped.

VANK is calling on people from all voer the world to join us in promoting this poster with the hashtag #SaveMyanmar

The yellow flower on the poster is a flower of a tree ‘padauk’.

It is the most loved flower of Myanmar people.

Flowers bloom all over the streets of Myanmar in April, so We hope the situation stabilizes quickly and the flowers of hope bloom in Myanmar again.

“You may as well shoot me”

Seeing the nun kneeling before them, the Myanmar police put down their guns.

#SaveMyanmar

Join the global petition to save the lives of the people in Myanmar!

http://chng.it/Pts62b2G