Upside-down flag spotted near actor Kim Gyu-ri's cafe ahead of Hangul Day

A controversy has erupted after an upside-down South Korean national flag was spotted flying in front of a cafe in South Jeolla Province that actor Kim Gyu-ri and the actor's family are known to operate, just ahead of Hangul Day on Friday. It has not been confirmed whether Kim's side was responsible for hoisting the flag.

Videos and photos criticizing the cafe, located in Yeongam, South Jeolla Province, have been circulating on SNS in recent days.

The images show an inverted Taegukgi fluttering on a utility pole in front of the cafe building.

Netizens reacted with puzzlement ahead of Hangul Day, with comments including "That's strange" and "Why is it hung upside down?"

Kim opened the bakery cafe in Yeongam, South Jeolla Province, in April. Kim runs it together with the actor's family and recently shared photos on SNS showing the actor working shifts there.

It has not been confirmed whether the cafe was responsible for displaying the inverted flag, and the cafe has not issued any statement on the matter.

Meanwhile, this is not the first time an upside-down Taegukgi has sparked controversy.

In August, Incheon City installed banners near a crosswalk behind City Hall to mark the 81st Liberation Day, but the banners drew criticism after observers noted that the Taegukgi depicted being held aloft by an independence activist appeared to be inverted.

Super Junior members Choi Si-won and Kim Hee-chul criticized the flag depiction in Incheon's Liberation Day banners.

As the controversy spread, Incheon City explained that the flag had not been drawn incorrectly but was rendered from a low-angle perspective looking up at an independence activist waving it. The city nonetheless removed the banners.