Short Track 'Absurd Disqualification'... "Gold Medal Stolen" Political Circles Also Criticize

Hwang Daeheon and Lee Junseo Fail to Advance to Finals Due to 'Disqualification'
Lee Jae-myung: "Our Players Who Did Their Best Are the True Winners"
Ahn Cheol-soo: "Sweat and Effort Crushed by Dirty Judgment"

Hwang Daeheon, a member of the South Korean short track speed skating team at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, is racing in the men's 1000m quarterfinal heat 4 at the Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China, on the afternoon of the 7th. Although Hwang crossed the finish line first, he was disqualified for a late lane change. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] Amid the controversial disqualifications of South Korean athletes in the men's 1000m short track semifinals at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, voices of disappointment and anger erupted from the political sphere as well.

Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, wrote on his Facebook on the 7th, "I cannot contain my disappointment and anger over the biased judging in the Beijing Winter Olympics short track," adding, "I hope our athletes do not lose heart. Our team, who gave their best until the end with skill, are the true winners."

Ahn Cheol-soo, the People’s Party presidential candidate, also criticized, saying, "The sweat and effort of athletes who endured years of excruciating pain waiting solely for this day were shattered by China's dirty judging. Our athletes' gold medals were stolen by biased short track decisions," and urged, "China must immediately revoke the dirty judgments and return South Korea’s gold medals."

He continued, "I share the public’s anger over the malicious acts of the Chinese referees," emphasizing, "The team must do everything possible to correct the dirty judgments and reclaim the results of our short track athletes’ sweat and passion."

Ha Tae-kyung, a member of the People Power Party, said, "Watching the men’s short track at the Winter Olympics with my family, we all got angry and upset. Is this the spirit of sports and the Olympics? They might as well just hold a national sports festival among themselves," delivering a sharp rebuke. He added, "If this cheating and unfairness are not corrected, the IOC (International Olympic Committee) should just close down," and encouraged disqualified athletes Hwang Dae-heon and Lee Jun-seo by saying, "You are the true winners."

Kim Jae-seop, former emergency committee member of the People Power Party, also targeted the host country China, stating, "A country's sports culture and political consciousness are important measures to judge the level of that country."

Earlier on the 7th, at the Beijing Capital Indoor Stadium, in the men's 1000m short track semifinals, Hwang Dae-heon and Lee Jun-seo crossed the finish line in first and second place in their heats respectively, but were disqualified due to questionable judgments.

Hwang was disqualified for allegedly changing lanes late while overtaking another athlete to take first place, and Lee was disqualified for allegedly making contact with Hungarian athlete Liu Shaolin Sandor during a lane change. As a result, two Korean athletes were eliminated, and three Chinese athletes advanced to the final.

Controversial judgments continued in the final, which featured three Chinese athletes and two Hungarian athletes. Liu Shaolin Sandor crossed the finish line first but was given a yellow card after video review and was eliminated. Ultimately, China’s Ren Ziwei and Li Wenlong, who finished second and third, took the gold and silver medals, respectively.

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