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| A banner marking the 70th anniversary of the Korean War is hung on the facade of the U.S. Embassy building in Seoul, Tuesday. Korea Times photo by Jung Min-ho |
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| A man walks near "Black Lives Matter" and rainbow banners at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, Sunday, June 14, 2020. AP |
By Jung Min-ho
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| Harry Harris |
In a statement sent to The Korea Times Tuesday, an embassy spokeswoman said Ambassador Harry Harris removed the banner to avoid misapprehension that he supports any specific groups leading the protests.
"The ambassador's intent was not to support or encourage donations to any specific organization," the spokeswoman said. "To avoid the misperception that American taxpayer dollars were spent to benefit such organizations, he directed that the banner be removed.
"This in no way lessens the principles and ideals expressed by raising the banner, and the embassy will look for other ways to convey fundamental American values in these times of difficulty at home.
"As Secretary of State Pompeo recently said, 'America is rightly outraged at the brutal killing of George Floyd and our country will prosecute his killers and respect the right to protest peacefully.'"
But according to CNN, the real reason behind the decision was a request from the U.S. State Department.
Citing sources familiar with the matter, CNN reported "Senior State Department leadership" asked the embassy to remove the banner.
The Korea Times confirmed that the embassy also removed a large rainbow flag, which had been displayed next to the banner. It is unclear why the embassy did so after unfurling it two weeks ago.
The banner was widely seen as a rare show of support for the Black Lives Matter movement by a Trump appointee.
Protests against racism and police brutality erupted around the country following the alleged murder of George Floyd, 46, who died in Minneapolis police custody on May 25.
