Finnish leader apologizes to Korea, China and Japan following outrage at Miss Finland's slanted eye post

Finland’s Prime Minister Petteri Orpo issued an official apology to Korea, China and Japan following controversy over a Miss Finland winner’s derogatory gesture toward Asians

Miss Finland Sarah Dzafce said in the viral photo that she was "eating with a Chinese" when posing with slanted eyes [EPA/YONHAP, SCREEN CAPTURE].

Finland’s Prime Minister Petteri Orpo issued an official apology to Korea, China and Japan following controversy over a Miss Finland winner’s derogatory gesture toward Asians and subsequent actions by far-right Finnish politicians in defending her.

The Finnish Embassy in Seoul published the apology in Korean on its official social media channels under Orpo’s name on Wednesday.

Statement issued under the name of Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo apologizing for racist posts by members of the Finns Party, published in Korean on the Finnish Embassy in Seoul’s social media channels on Dec. 17. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

“Racism and all forms of discrimination are never acceptable in Finnish society,” Orpo said. “The [Finnish] government takes racism very seriously and is fully committed to combating it.”

He added that Finland “always strives to be a better society” and that politicians have a responsibility to lead by example, noting that parliamentary group leaders had discussed the lawmakers’ conduct and “jointly and strongly condemn the insulting and inappropriate behavior.”

The same statement was also posted on the Finnish Embassy’s social media accounts in China and Japan in their respective languages, but not elsewhere in Asia.

The Finnish Embassy in Seoul said Thursday in reply to an inquiry by the Korea JoongAng Daily that the statement was published in these countries based on "an overall assessment," taking into account in particular the "level of media attention" surrounding the issue.

The controversy erupted late last month when the 2025 Miss Finland titleholder, Sarah Dzafce, was photographed pulling back her eyes with both hands during a meal. The image was posted on social media with the caption “eating with a Chinese person.” The so-called “slanted-eye” gesture is widely regarded in the West as a racist caricature targeting Asians.

After public backlash, the Miss Finland organization stripped Dzafce of her crown.

The issue escalated further when several politicians from the Finns Party — a hard-right junior partner in the governing coalition — responded by posting similar eye-pulling images in protest, with some lawmakers arguing that revoking the title amounted to excessive punishment.

The Finnish Embassy in Seoul emphasized the limits of the government's authority.

“Any possible sanctions imposed on the MPs (members of the parliament) are the responsibility of the parliamentary group," the embassy said. "In Finland, we cannot prevent or forbid individual MPs from exercising their freedom of speech and expression, even if they use offensive language."

Finland’s national carrier Finnair said the widely circulated images had triggered a backlash in Asian markets, where the airline generates a significant share of its long-haul business, according to media reports.

UPDATE, Dec. 18 : Added the Finnish Embassy's comments.

BY SEO JI-EUN [seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr]