Sim Sang-jung: "Unclear Judging Undermines Olympic Spirit... Olympics Must Be Fair and Just"

Hwang Daeheon and Lee Junseo Eliminated After 'Biased Judging'

Sim Sang-jung, Justice Party presidential candidate Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Jung-wan] Sim Sang-jung, the presidential candidate of the Justice Party, criticized the short track refereeing at the '2022 Beijing Winter Olympics,' saying, "The Olympic spirit is being damaged by questionable judgments."

On the 8th, Sim posted on her Facebook, "Amid the COVID-19 disaster, many citizens from around the world are finding hope by watching the Beijing Winter Olympics," adding, "This Olympics must be more fair and just than any other. I hope our athletes stay strong. We all know who the true winners are."

Photo by Sim Sang-jung, capture from the Facebook page of the Justice Party presidential candidate

Earlier, Hwang Dae-heon (23, Gangwon Province Office) was the first to cross the finish line in the men's 1000m short track semifinal held on the 7th at the Beijing Capital Indoor Stadium. However, the referees, after video review, penalized Hwang for a late lane change during the process of overtaking the first place. Instead, Chinese skaters Ren Ziwei and Li Wenlong advanced to the final. In response, An Sang-mi, MBC's short track commentator, raised doubts, calling it an "unconvincing judgment."

Lee Jun-seo (22, Korea National Sport University), who competed in the second semifinal heat, also qualified in second place but was eliminated due to a penalty. The referees judged that Lee committed a lane change foul during contact with Hungary's Sandor Liu Shaolin. Consequently, China's Wu Dajing advanced to the final.

Meanwhile, the Korean delegation plans to file an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) regarding this biased refereeing controversy.

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