Tiffany, of Girls’ Generation, drew flak Sunday after using an emoticon of a Japanese flag on social media.

(Tiffany's instagram/Snapchat)

Tiffany posted a photo of Soo-young, Yuri and herself at S.M. Town Concert’s after-party Sunday, the day before Korea’s Liberation Day holiday that celebrates Korea’s independence from Japan’s colonial rule from 1910-1945.

Along with the photo, the singer included Japanese flag and wine emoticons, triggering outrage from fans.

Tiffany quickly deleted the photo, but face a similar situation on Snapchat with a rising sun flag, a symbol representing Japanese imperialism.

She explained that she had used the Snapchat function Geostickers, in which a “sticker” themed to a user’s current location is automatically posted with photos.

Online commenters, however, expressed their disappointment with the star, saying, “How could a K-pop idol do this just before Liberation Day?” and “She should have checked her emoticons better.”

By Choi Hyung-won (h.c1110@heraldcorp.com)