"'Geum Gangtal' Run Ziwei: 'I Will Remember Korean Team's Fall Forever... Is It Too Obvious?'"

Rising Anti-Korean Sentiment in China
Chinese Media Reports "Why Did Korean Short Track Collapse?"

Chinese short track speed skating national team member Ren Ziwei.
Photo by China CCTV capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] In the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics short track speed skating event, South Korea's Hwang Dae-heon (23, Gangwon Province Office) and Lee Jun-seo (22, Korea National Sport University) were disqualified due to unfair judgments, while China's Ren Ziwei, who won the gold medal, escalated anti-Korean sentiment.

On the 7th, Ren Ziwei finished second from the quarterfinals to the finals in the men's 1000m short track but still claimed the gold medal. Notably, in the final, Hungarian skater Liu Shaolin, who crossed the finish line first, was disqualified after receiving two penalties, resulting in the unprecedented event of Ren Ziwei, who came in second, receiving the gold medal.

After winning the gold in the final, when asked by reporters, "What moment do you think you will remember for a lifetime?" he replied, "The Korean team falling down." When the reporters laughed, he retorted, "Why? Is it too obvious?"

Subsequently, Chinese netizens deified Ren Ziwei and claimed that "the reason Korean short track is strong is because they frequently commit fouls," calling for the reinstatement of the Hanhanryeong (限韓令, Korean Wave ban).

Hwang Daeheon of the Korean short track speed skating national team is racing in the men's 1000m semifinal held on the afternoon of the 7th at the Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China, maneuvering into the inside lane to avoid China's Li Wenlong (No. 94) and Ren Ziwei. /Photo by Yonhap News

On the 8th, the hashtag 'International Skating Union (ISU), Hungary and Korea's objections dismissed' ranked first in real-time searches on China's version of Weibo.

Additionally, hashtags such as 'Two Korean players refused interviews and left the venue,' 'Korean fouls,' 'Liu Shaolin fouls,' and 'Hwang Dae-heon fouls' also appeared consecutively in real-time searches.

Chinese netizens alleged that Hwang Dae-heon committed fouls during the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics and raised issues that he also fouled during the Beijing Winter Olympics.

They criticized, saying, "Their methods are too dirty," "Malicious fouls are Korea's unique strength," "Don't pull other players during matches," "Hwang Dae-heon is a habitual offender," and "We hope the Hanhanryeong is revived. We need to teach these shameless Koreans a lesson. They should admit if they are wrong."

Chinese sports media outlet Sina Sports reported on the 7th with the headline, "Korea only watched two short track finals, what happened to the short track national team?" Without mentioning the controversy over biased judgments, the outlet wrote, "What is the reason Korean short track collapsed in these two matches today?"

Through its official Weibo, Sina Sports described Chinese athletes as victims, stating, "The question netizens have is this: 'Why do players always collide in short track matches? And why are the injured always our players?'"

Meanwhile, Hwang Dae-heon crossed the finish line first in the first semifinal heat but was disqualified after video review judged that he had late course cutting. Shortly after, Lee Jun-seo, who started in the second heat and rose to second place, was also disqualified due to a lane change penalty after colliding with Hungarian Liu Shaowang in the last lap.

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