TOKYO (AFP) ― A Japanese television station said Wednesday it was postponing the airing of a South Korean drama series starring an actor who took part in a swim to a group of islands at the center of a territorial row.
BS Nippon Corporation said it would replace “A Man Called God,” which features popular actor Song Il-kook and was to due air from next week, with a re-run of another South Korean drama series.
“We have decided to change our programming after considering the impact of the main actor swimming to Takeshima,” a station spokeswoman said, referring to Dokdo.
A team of South Koreans reached the islands on Wednesday, finishing a 220-kilometer (135-mile) relay swim from the east coast, less than a week after President Lee Myung-bak visited the disputed chain, provoking ire in Tokyo.
The team led by singer Kim Jang-hoon completed the swim to mark South Korea’s Liberation Day, which commemorates the 1945 end of Japan’s occupation of the peninsula.
