A commercial by clothing brand Uniqlo has stirred a consumer backlash in South Korea amid accusations that it mocks victims of wartime labor and "comfort women," reopening deep wounds from Japan's colonial past.

A YouTube video created by a South Korean student parodying the ad has gone viral and protesters have targeted Uniqlo Co. stores, demanding an apology from the company.

In the Uniqlo commercial, Iris Apfel, a 97-year-old American style icon with more than 1.4 million Instagram followers, is in an animated conversation with 12-year-old fashion designer Kheris Rogers.