NBC’s Today mocked for embarrassing blunder during Shinzo Abe news segment

A major American broadcaster is being mocked for a painfully embarrassing blunder while reporting on one of the world's biggest news events.

An American network has been mocked after it displayed South Korean flags in a news segment about the assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

NBC’s Today show broadcast stock footage of the flags while a reporter discussed Japan’s gun laws in the wake of Friday’s shock death of Mr Abe, who was fatally shot midway through a campaign rally speech in the Japanese region of Nara.

“Gun violence is exceptionally rare in Japan,” the reporter said as footage of famous Japanese landmarks, such as Tokyo Tower and the Shibuya crossing, appeared on screen.

“Its gun laws are among the most stringent in the world,” the reporter continued, as the row of South Korean flags was screened.

Viewers were lightning fast to point out the show’s embarrassing mistake.

Ummmm, wrong country, @TODAYshow.@NBCNews, your morning show has some issues with keeping the countries in Asia straight. pic.twitter.com/0UngDDpVb3

— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) July 8, 2022

“Ummmm, wrong country, TODAY show,” journalist Curtis Houck tweeted. “NBC News, your morning show has some issues with keeping the countries in Asia straight.”

“For the love of God … please teach more geography in American schools,” someone else said.

“I want to know how they ended up with this photo? They obviously didn’t type ‘Japanese flags’ on Google images,” another quipped.

The incorrect flags appear to have been replaced by the correct ones on a clip of the news segment on the NBC website.

Awkwardly, the blunder comes as Mr Abe’s death is celebrated by some critics in South Korea, whose relations with Japan deteriorated during his leadership.

Mr Abe had a frosty relationship with South Korea during his time as Japan’s prime minister. Picture: Jiji Press/AFP

Unresolved wartime disputes — dating back to Japan’s colonial rule of Korea — spilt into trade and military talks during Mr Abe’s time in office, cooling relations between Tokyo and Seoul.

Opinion polls in South Korea had Mr Abe ranked even lower in likability than North Korean despot Kim Jong-un.

Despite the two nations’ rocky relationship, South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol paid tribute to Mr Abe yesterday, branding his assassination an “intolerable act of crime”.

Mr Abe is pictured moments before he was shot as the alleged shooter lurks behind him in a grey shirt. Picture: AFP/Toshiharu Otani via Jiji Press

The alleged shooter is tackled by police after the shooting. Picture: Asahi Shimbun/AFP

In a telegram to Mr Abe’s wife, Mr Yoon offered his “condolences and sympathy to the bereaved family and the people of Japan over the loss of its longest-serving former prime minister and a respected politician,” his office said.

Chilling footage has captured the moment Mr Abe was shot by a gunman behind him moments after starting his speech at a political rally on Friday.

As horrified crowds watched on, Mr Abe collapsed in the street with two bloody wounds in his neck and was rushed to hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

The alleged gunman has been identified as disgruntled veteran Tetsuya Yamagami, 41, who was arrested at the scene.