Bella Poarch's tattoo is considered offensive by many Koreans and others because the rising sun flag was used by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War 2, in areas across Asia where Japan invaded and occupied. South Korea was under Japanese occupation from 1910 until 1945 (via The Guardian).

Poarch immediately apologized for getting the tattoo and insists that she didn't know the meaning behind the symbol when she first got it. She said on Twitter, "I apologize to Koreans because 6 months ago I got a tattoo of the red sun with 16 rays. At that time, I didn't know the history. But when I found out, I immediately had it covered and scheduled for removal. I am ashamed of myself for not doing my research. I sincerely apologize."

The TikToker also added that she sees a lot of people in her home state Hawaii using the red sun symbol on clothing, cars, and even jewelry but that it is important for people to become educated about the meaning of this symbol and to learn from her mistake.