Pentaport subtitle flap over 'US-backed Gwangju massacre' claim: Park Chan-dae calls it 'deeply regrettable'

Incheon Mayor Park Chan-dae expressed regret over a subtitle displayed during last month's Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival that suggested the United States had supported a massacre of civilians by the South Korean government.

According to Yonhap, Park said Wednesday in response to a city council question that he had been unaware of the incident at the time because he was attending his mother's funeral. "It is deeply regrettable that this happened," he said.

He went on to say that the claim of US support "could damage trust between the United States and South Korea," adding that officials had deliberated internally at the time over how to respond.

People Power Party Incheon City Council Member Lee Beom-seok raised the issue with Park that day. He said the event -- funded with 2 billion won ($1.49 million) in state and city subsidies -- featured a definitive statement. The statement claimed that in 1980, the United States backed a civilian massacre carried out by the South Korean government in Gwangju.

He went on to ask Park for his position. He noted that a local lawmaker, a district mayor and Lee himself had issued statements on the matter, and that it had become a topic of discussion on social media. Yet Incheon, the event's host, had made no official statement.

The subtitle appeared during the Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival, held Aug. 1 at Songdo Moonlight Festival Park.

Before performing a cover of Seo Taiji and Boys' song "Sidae Yugam" ("Regret of the Times"), the British band Massive Attack screened footage related to the May 18 Democratic Uprising. The subtitle referencing the US-support claim appeared on screen during the footage, sparking controversy.