Korean Skater Portrayed as 'Foul King' in Chinese Short Track Movie... Seokyungdeok "Report to IOC"

Chinese short track movie 'Fly, Light on the Ice'.
[Photo by Weibo]

Professor Seokyung Deok from Sungshin Women's University criticized the movie "Fly, Light on the Ice" released in China.
[Photo by Professor Seokyung Deok, Sungshin Women's University Facebook]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seoyoung Kwon] Amid the release of a film depicting South Korean short track speed skating athletes as 'cheating kings' during the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, Professor Seongdeok Seo of Sungshin Women's University reportedly filed a complaint with the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

On the 18th, Professor Seo posted a photo containing a scene from the Chinese film Fly, Light on the Ice on his Facebook, stating, "Amid the major controversy over biased refereeing in short track speed skating at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, a film portraying Korean short track athletes as 'cheating kings' has been released in China, sparking further controversy."

The film tells the story of a rural boy working as a delivery driver who, influenced by his mother, a former national team member, takes up short track speed skating and eventually competes in international competitions as a national representative after rigorous training. However, the Korean short track athletes in the film appear repeatedly committing fouls, such as deliberately tripping opponents during races or injuring the protagonist’s eyes with skate blades after a fall, which has caused controversy.

Professor Seo wrote, "On the 12th, the Chinese video platform iQIYI exclusively released the short track film Fly, Light on the Ice, which includes scenes where Korean athletes intentionally trip Chinese athletes and frequently commit fouls. Notably, it has been revealed that the Beijing municipal authorities were involved from the scriptwriting stage and oversaw the production and distribution, which is deeply shocking."

He emphasized, "In response, I sent emails to Thomas Bach, the IOC President, and all IOC members worldwide (excluding those from Korea) to inform them in detail about Beijing’s misconduct." Professor Seo reportedly criticized in the email, "How can a city hosting the Olympics promote hatred against a country to stir up patriotism among its own citizens? Such actions violate the Olympic spirit."

Additionally, Professor Seo stressed, "That these actions occurred during the Olympic period constitutes serious defamation against Korean short track athletes," and added, "I also requested the IOC members to strongly warn the Beijing municipal government and the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee to ensure that such disgraceful acts never happen again in an Olympic host city."

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