Produce stamps and coins
What does each member do after making pen-fringes abroad and getting friend with foreigners? The real purpose of VANK is to carry out the so-called “Discount Japan Activites,” in which publicize “Japan's historical distortions” (according to their claims but they are not true) and loses its position in the international community. They are disparaging Japan with the various “issues” root in their fake historical issues like “comfort women” (wartime prostitute with exceptional high payments), so-called recruitment issues (paid wartime coal miners with social insurance), the Rising Sun flag (have been Japan military flag since 19th Century and existing Naval flag), the Takeshima territorial issue, the name of the Sea of Japan, and so on. And it is said that more than 20,000 foreigners are now inspired by these claims, and anti-Japan is spreading throughout the world.
(Yonhap News, February 18, 2015).
Recent “achievement” of VANK is “correction” from "Japan Sea" to “Japan Sea/ East Ton Sea” on an Australian veterans-related site regarding the Korean War, in last October.
Spread reputational damage around the world
Back up by the Korean Government and LINE Korean IT company
The fund for VANK activities is donations from members and the sale of goods. Donations can be made on the website of VANK. The donation is 3,000 KRW (approximately 280 JPY), which can be paid by elementary school students.
This amount of 3,000 KRW is called “the amount of one brick”, and root in the slogan of the fundraising campaign for the construction of the Independence Hall, located in the city of Mud Tian Chiyo An Nan, Chung Chiyung, Ching Chiyo South Nanna Expressway (completed in 1987). And the fundraising was promoted by teachers at all schools in Korea to students. Therefore, it is a symbolic amount for patriotism.
The products that VANK sells as activity funds include can badges and clear files and postcards. And in last June, a passport cover with illustrations of Takeshima (Dokdo) and the Sea of Japan (East Ton) were sold with 14,500 KRW (about 1, 360 JPY). Although they call themselves private diplomatic missions, these ostensible funds alone cannot cover the cost of such their activities. And in fact, they are public organizations receiving government funding.
Until 2009, the public research institute of The Academy of Korean Studies s was assigned a budget of 50 million KRW to VANK. And in 2008 when Lee Imi Ming Yong- Bak became president, such budget assignment was done by direct instruction of the President. And since 2009, they also has been receiving financial support from the Northeast Asian History Foundation. Such Korean government's policies for financial support are consistent regardless of changing the Presindents, Lee Myung-bak, Park Park Geun-k Hue-Ne, and Wen-Moon in Jae-Tora-in.
Financial assistance is not limited to the Korean government. Speaking of typical examples, Japanese company called Neighbor Inc., the parent company of the overwhelmingly supported chat tool “LINE”, provides funding. Ironically, the more Japanese people use LINE, the more misinformation is spread to the world. In 2008, it was confirmed that Neighbor Inc. donated 100 million KRW. The operation of blogs and other sites on the Internet of VANK is undertaken by Neighbor Inc.
