[Desk Column] Tokyo Olympics and South Korea's Pride

[Asia Economy Senior Reporter Jinsoo Lee] With the Tokyo Olympics just 49 days away, as of 7:30 PM on the 3rd, a staggering 2,831 new COVID-19 cases have been confirmed across Japan. As a result, 10,000 Olympic volunteers have voluntarily withdrawn as of the 2nd, reducing the number from 80,000 to 70,000. The reason is anxiety over COVID-19 infection.

Criticism is mounting both inside and outside Japan over the Japanese government's determination to proceed with the Tokyo Olympics. However, the Japanese government’s resolve to hold the Olympics remains firm. Canceling the Olympics would be an admission of failure in COVID-19 measures, and Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga might have to take responsibility and resign if it happens. Canceling the Olympics would cause enormous economic losses and could lead to compensation liabilities. The Japanese private economic research institute Nomura Research Institute estimated that canceling the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics would result in economic losses of 1.8108 trillion yen (approximately 18.37 trillion won).

About 90,000 athletes and related personnel are expected to enter Japan for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. Experts worry that it is virtually impossible to perfectly screen COVID-19 infected individuals through quarantine or to strictly manage entrants so they do not deviate from designated routes.

Furthermore, the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics Organizing Committee announced on the 31st of last month that alcohol would be allowed inside the athletes’ village. This sparked outrage among opposition lawmakers who feared that athletes gathering to drink could lead to the spread of COVID-19.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) plans to require athletes from each country to submit a pledge stating that if they contract COVID-19 during the Tokyo Olympics, it will be their ‘own responsibility.’ This essentially means they must risk their lives and participate at their own discretion.

There are two more aspects that make us feel very uncomfortable. One is the Rising Sun Flag (旭日昇天旗, Ukilgi) issue. It is known that the design of the Japanese national team’s uniform for the golf event at the Tokyo Olympics resembles the Rising Sun Flag. What is the Rising Sun Flag? It is a flag symbolizing Japanese militarism, containing nostalgia for imperialist times and an ambition to return to that era.

There is no guarantee that the Rising Sun Flag will not be brought into the Tokyo Olympic venues. The Japanese government has claimed, "The criticism that the Rising Sun Flag is a political statement or a symbol of militarism is completely unfounded," and "The Rising Sun Flag design is widely used in traditional Japanese culture." However, for us who vividly remember the suffering caused by invasion, the Rising Sun Flag is nothing less than a threat. From the opening ceremony to the closing ceremony of the Olympics, where peace and friendship among the world’s people should be fostered, we will face the symbol of militarism, the Rising Sun Flag.

Another issue is that Japan has marked Dokdo as a barely visible tiny dot above Shimane Prefecture on the nationwide map introducing the torch relay course on the Tokyo Olympics website, making it appear as if Dokdo is Japanese territory. Despite our protests, the Japanese government has not removed Dokdo from the Tokyo Olympics website, and the IOC, blinded by Olympic money, remains passive.

Why on earth must we be the supporting actors in such a dangerous and awkward festival? Should we really send our athletes to the Tokyo Olympics, which might become a ‘festival of variant viruses’? Participation in the Tokyo Olympics is a matter that even concerns the nation’s dignity.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.