Big Bang’s Car Robbed in Japan: Victim of Hate Crime?

Big Bang’s car was robbed in Japan, resulting in the loss of Daesung and Seungri’s passports. But local media is suspecting it as a result of hate crime stemming from the rapidly growing anti-Hallyu sentiment across Japan.

According to Yomiuri Shimbun on August 17, Big Bang’s van was broken into while it was parked at a hotel in Tokyo. The door’s window was cracked open by a hammer and the members’ luggages were stolen as well. The bag had the passports and cash of Daesung and Seungri, it was later discovered.

But fans and press are questioning the motive behind the robbery. The incident coincidentally happened in the early morning of August 15, the Korean Independence Day, which is also the anniversary of Japan’s Second World War surrender.

Although it’s unclear if the robbery was actually carried out by an anti-Hallyu advocate, local media is suspecting it as hate crime, as many Japanese fans demanded TV stations to abstain from airing any Korean-related shows. In fact, NHK”s BS Nippon and BS Japan indefinitely suspended the airing of “A Man Called God,” after the show’s lead role Song Il Gook was later discovered to have participated in an event claiming Dokdo (Takeshima in Japanese) as Korean territory.

Perhaps, it’s a bit of a stretch to call this hate crime just based on the date of the incident. But the two countries’ relationship has clearly soured recently and anything involving Korea and Japan together could possibly face similar accusations one way or another.