Anti-Japanese mood boosts Seoul ad

<p>SEOUL: The latest television campaign for Megapass, South Korea's </p><p>largest broadband internet provider, is benefiting from rising </p><p>anti-Japa- nese sentiment in the country. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The commercial, aired during primetime on Korea's major networks, </p><p>features the computer-generated image of one of Korea's most potent </p><p>icons: the national statue of Admiral Yi Sun-shin. The greatest military </p><p>hero in Korean history, he is credited with turning back the 1592 </p><p>invasion by sinking the Japanese fleet off the southern coast of </p><p>Korea. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The Megapass commercial has some fun with the admiral. His statue comes </p><p>to life and leads a bumbling crew of computer geeks in a modern </p><p>nuclear-powered ship into battle. However, the light-hearted spot ends </p><p>on a slightly ominous note - it fires a beam that obliterates a city on </p><p>the horizon in a mushroom cloud. A voiceover proclaims Megapass to be </p><p>the "most powerful internet connection in the world". </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The targeted city is not mentioned but featuring the admiral has led to </p><p>the assumption that it is in Japan. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Anti-Japanese sentiment has run high in Korea in past months over </p><p>several incidents, including Japan's approval of a controversial school </p><p>textbook. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"The commercial is not meant to be a metaphor for anything," said Ahn </p><p>Hae-ik, creative director at Cheil Communications, who led the team that </p><p>produced the spot. "We just wanted to invoke a popular image of a great </p><p>innovator in promoting broadband." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Ahn said response had been "very strong". </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Not all agree the spot is harmless. "This ad was definitely meant for </p><p>Korean eyes only," said a foreign marketing executive based in </p><p>Seoul. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"Its militaristic overtones are a bit disturbing." </p><p><BR><BR> </p>