The US ambassador to South Korea, Harry Harris, has shaved off his controversial moustache, months after his facial hair sparked a debate about the country's colonial past. The retired navy admiral had his moustache removed at a barbershop in Seoul, saying he did so to keep cool during the summer while wearing a face mask in compliance with Covid-19 rules.
Mr Harris's moustache had drawn criticism for its associations with Japan's colonisation of South Korea from 1910 to 1945. Earlier this year, South Korean commentators and politicians said his facial hair evoked painful memories of the colonial era because it resembled the moustaches worn by Japan's governor-generals.
Mr Harris, who is Japanese-American, suggested the criticism stemmed from his heritage. 'My moustache, for some reason, has become a point of some fascination here,' he said. 'I have been criticised in the media here, especially in social media, because of my ethnic background, because I am a Japanese-American.'
World War Two-era Japanese military leaders such as Hideki Tojo and Sadao Araki all sported similar moustaches, though scholars note the style was common among regional leaders at the time, including China's Chiang Kai-shek. Mr Harris had previously stated he grew the moustache to mark his 'new life as a diplomat' and would only remove it if it hurt US-South Korea relations.
