Expo Drops 'World's Worst Cola' Over Unification Church Links

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The soda McCol has been pulled from sale at Expo 2025, Osaka, Kansai, following critical publicity over its ties to the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (formerly the Unification Church). The decision has sparked debate, with some calling the move an overreaction.

McCol is a barley-based carbonated drink produced by Ilhwa, a South Korean company affiliated with the former Unification Church. In South Korea, the group is often viewed more as a business conglomerate than a religious organization.

The Unification Church came under intense scrutiny in Japan after the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in July 2022. Abe was shot by Tetsuya Yamagami, who claimed he targeted the former prime minister due to perceived connections with the Unification Church. Yamagami also claimed that his mother donated large sums of money to the church, leading to his family's financial ruin.

An Acquired Taste?

The polarizing drink is known for its distinct taste, which has earned it the nickname "the world's worst cola." It was popular in Japan in the 1980s, even featuring singer Cho Yong-pil in its commercials. However, distribution dwindled after reports of cans exploding. Today, it's mostly found in a few Korean supermarkets.

*Map of the Osaka Expo venue from the official website.*

At the Expo, McCol was being sold at a store specializing in K-pop merchandise, Korean cosmetics, and food, on the west side of the Ringside Marketplace. In late April, social media users began raising concerns about the drink's connection to the Unification Church.

The Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition stated that the shop was run by a Tokyo-based company specializing in Korean food. After a weekly magazine contacted it on May 9, Expo organizers reached out to the operator, who then voluntarily pulled the product. The company had not responded to an inquiry from The Sankei Shimbun by the publication's deadline.

Right Decision or Social Prejudice?

Makoto Miura, head of the Social Affairs Department at Shimbun Akahata, the official newspaper of the Japanese Communist Party, praised the move on X (formerly Twitter), saying, "It's the right decision." (JAPAN Forward was unable to find comments from other political parties.)

The Japanese court recently issued a dissolution order for the Unification Church at the request of the education ministry. However, the order does not apply to the group's South Korean headquarters or its businesses.

In a similar case, the Japanese TV show Itte Q! edited out a segment featuring the church-affiliated Little Angels art troupe.

Attorney Shinichi Tokunaga of the Osaka Bar Association, who has represented groups linked to the former Unification Church, criticized the decision. "Banning even foreign-made products is an overreaction and borders on hate. Japanese society should remain calm and guard against social prejudice."