To have a mustache as a landmark after leaving the army, US ambassador Harry Harris could not expect that it would cause a backlash in Korea.

After Harris, a retired Navy admiral, set foot in Seoul, South Korea to take over the position of US ambassador to the country, one of the first questions from the local media was about his mustache. . Since then, Ambassador Mustache's mustache has been the subject of mockery and criticism for many Koreans.

Many people believe that his mustache is reminiscent of the Japanese imperialist occupation of the Korean peninsula in 1910-1945. Koreans had a long-standing grudge against Japan because at that time, many thought that the Japanese governors who ruled the Korean peninsula were mustache.

Harris, 63, was born in Japan, has a Japanese mother and a father is a US naval officer. He became US ambassador to South Korea in July 2018, two months after leaving the command of the Pacific Command and ending his career in the army.

"My mustache is the subject of great interest here," Harris told foreign reporters in Seoul on January 16. "I was criticized in the media, especially on social media, because I am Japanese American."

Harris said his mustache has nothing to do with his Japanese background. He began raising mustaches to mark retirement after many years of "smooth beards" in the navy.

When the United States announced he was the ambassador, many South Koreans argued that Washington was downplaying their national pride. Some people wonder if this is a calculated offense for Koreans.

"Harris's mother is Japanese. That reason alone is enough to make us dislike him," a blogger wrote last month. "Which side would he choose if asked to choose between Korea and Japan?" The person continued.

Harris arrived in Seoul at a time when the relationship between Korea and Japan deteriorated because of problems from the Japanese occupation of the Korean Peninsula. To make matters worse, US President Donald Trump demanded that South Korea would make a five-fold annual contribution to cover the cost of maintaining 28,500 US troops in the country.

Since taking office, Harris has been pushing South Korea to raise "protection fees" at the request of the Trump administration. He also helped Washington pressure Seoul to avoid giving up its military information sharing agreement with Tokyo, which U.S. officials consider important to guard China and North Korea.

On January 16, Harris proposed that Korea should consult with the United States in pursuing new forms of exchange with North Korea, including the ability for tourists to visit, to ensure that they do not violate sanctions.

These comments made Harris considered by the Koreans to be an "bossy envoy". South Korean government spokesman Lee Sang-min said Seoul's policy towards Pyongyang was "a matter of Korean sovereignty". Senior ruling party members criticized Harris for "interfering in internal affairs" and "even acting as a governor".

Harris did not take much time to realize that his mustache could stir Korean people's deep aversion to Japan. "The mustache has caused many people to hold their views of the United States disrespecting Korea and even force Korea to do what it wants," the Korea Times newspaper wrote. "Harris is often mocked that he is not an ambassador, but a governor."

In a protest rally in central Seoul last month, young activists vented their anger by spitting fake mustache on a large photo of Harris. "For those people, I want to say they are deliberately forgetting history," Harris said, emphasizing that mustache farming was not only common in the West but also in Asia in the early 20th century, including The leaders of the Korean Peninsula fought to liberate the country from Japan as well as the mustache.

In an interview with the Korea Times last month, Harris said that throughout his career, his background was only noticed twice - by Chinese and now Koreans. As head of the US Pacific Command, he frankly condemned China's aggressive moves in the South China Sea and East China Sea. Chinese state-run media then often referred to Japanese origins when attacking him.

In October, South Korean police arrested more than a dozen student activists who broke into Harris's residence to protest Washington's request to increase cost-sharing for U.S. garrisons. Students hold up signs asking the ambassador to leave Korea.

"I understand the historical animosity that exists between the two nations," Harris said. "But I'm not Japanese-American ambassador to Korea. I'm American ambassador to Korea," he said. "Assigning historical issues to me is simply because my roots are a mistake."

He also emphasized that he had no intention of shaving his mustache.