Stolen Olympic medals’ infuriate Koreans, spur anti-China sentiment

February 9, 2022 Korea Sports

Many Koreans, including presidential candidates, have expressed anger after two of their national short track speedskaters were disqualified during the 2022 Beijing Olympics, calling the decision by referees “biased and unacceptable.”

Criticism spewed out online after Hwang Dae-heon and Lee June-seo, who finished first and second, respectively, in different groups for the men’s 1,000m semifinals at Capital Indoor Stadium on Monday, were disqualified. Hwang was penalized for making an illegal late pass causing contact and Lee for a lane change that caused contact. The rulings sent two Chinese athletes into the finals instead, and China ended up collecting gold and silver.

The rulings left many Koreans scratching their heads as they believe Hwang and Lee finished their heats without violating any regulations. Koreans’ anti-China sentiment was especially strong because the rulings came after China’s alleged appropriation of the Korean traditional dress known as hanbok during Friday’s opening ceremony.

The “stolen Olympic medals” allegation has drawn bipartisan support for Korean athletes.

Presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) said on Facebook on Monday night that he was “disappointed and irritated” over the rulings. He also wished Korean athletes would “not get discouraged by the incident.”