"Petty China... South Korea Gold Medal" 'World's Best' Short Track 'Golden Homecoming' Applause

Controversies Over Biased Judging and Other Setbacks
Harvesting 2 Gold and 3 Silver Medals... A Brilliant Golden Sprint

Choi Min-jeong, a member of the Korean short track speed skating team who won the gold medal in the women's 1,500m at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, is smiling brightly after receiving the gold medal at the medal ceremony held at the Medal Plaza in Beijing, China, on the afternoon of the 17th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] "China has basically advertised to the whole world how petty they are." "Our athletes are truly amazing."

The biggest issue of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics was the controversy over biased judging in short track speed skating. China even coined a new term, "Wi-Fi touch," during the mixed relay, the first event of the Olympics. This term refers to winning the gold medal without the runners physically touching each other. This reflects the dominant opinion that China caused significant disruption to the spirit of sportsmanship and inconvenience to the global audience during these Winter Olympics.

The various disputes between South Korea and China began as early as the opening ceremony on February 4. During the ceremony, representatives from 56 ethnic minorities within China held and passed along the Five-starred Red Flag together. At this time, a woman dressed in attire similar to hanbok appeared, sparking controversy. Although she participated as a representative of an ethnic minority, netizens criticized the event, warning that Korea’s unique culture could be mistakenly perceived as part of China’s ethnic minority culture.

In response to the controversy, the Chinese Embassy in Korea issued a statement to the Korean media on February 8, saying, "Traditional clothing (hanbok) belongs to the Korean Peninsula and the ethnic Korean-Chinese (Joseonjok) in China, and the so-called terms 'cultural engineering' and 'cultural plundering' are completely unfounded." In response, Professor Seo Kyung-deok posted on his Facebook, "I have read the statement several times, but there are many disappointing parts," and posted a rebuttal.

He explained that the Korean people’s anger was not only about the hanbok that appeared at the Olympic opening ceremony, suggesting that the Chinese Embassy in Korea seems to have a major misunderstanding. He also criticized Baidu (百度), China’s largest portal site, for distorting the fact by stating in its encyclopedia that hanbok (韓服) originated from China’s traditional clothing 'hanfu' (漢服).

On the 16th, at the Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China, during the men's 5000m relay final of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics short track, South Korea's Kwak Yoon-gi is chasing Canada's Steven Dubois.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Earlier, on February 7, the biased judging controversy erupted. At the short track men’s event held at the Beijing Capital Indoor Stadium, South Korean national team athletes Hwang Dae-heon (23, Gangwon Province Office) and Lee Jun-seo (22, Korea National Sport University) were consecutively disqualified due to penalty calls.

As a result, Chinese athletes who had not placed in the top two advanced to the finals by default. Ultimately, three out of the five finalists were Chinese athletes, and when the Hungarian athlete who finished first was also disqualified, China took both the gold and silver medals.

The Korean Sports Council stated that day, "Considering the hard work and sweat of the Korean athletes and the public sentiment over the biased judging raging domestically, we have decided to file a protest." Foreign media also began covering the biased judging issue, causing the controversy to escalate rapidly.

Afterwards, no further biased judging allegations surfaced, and China’s gold medal race faltered. China’s expected stars in the men’s 1500m and women’s 1000m failed to reach the finals, and men’s sprint ace Wu Dajing was relegated to Final B in the 500m. The men’s relay team slipped during the race and finished last.

In the women’s 1500m, China did not reach the medal zone, and in the women’s 3000m relay, they only managed to add a bronze medal behind the Netherlands and South Korea. Coincidentally, all these incidents occurred after strong protests from the Korean team.

The short track speed skating team, which won 2 gold medals and 3 silver medals at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, is posing for a commemorative photo with bright expressions after returning through Terminal 2 of Incheon International Airport on the afternoon of the 18th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

In the end, South Korea’s short track team won two gold medals and three silver medals at this competition. Choi Min-jung won gold and silver in the women’s 1500m and 1000m, respectively. She also contributed to the silver medal in the women’s 3000m relay. Hwang Dae-heon won the men’s 1500m and helped secure silver in the men’s 5000m relay. Despite a difficult start due to biased judging, the finale was excellent, which is why applause poured in.

Citizens are also voicing their support. Kim, a company employee in his 20s who watched the Beijing Olympic events via broadcast, said, "I want to sincerely congratulate our athletes who won medals with their skills despite China’s biased judging allegations." Park, a worker in his 30s, emphasized, "Everyone is going through tough times now, but I’m very grateful that they showed the world what sportsmanship really means, as well as winning medals."

Despite controversies such as biased judging, the athletes who showed their medal races once again brought relief to the public with their witty remarks about their future plans.

In an interview with domestic media at the Beijing Main Media Center on February 17, Choi Min-jung said, "I want to eat home-cooked meals and see my family and dog." Also, Hwang Dae-heon, who was promised "lifetime chicken" by Yoon Hong-geun, president of the Korea Skating Union during the competition, said, "I want to order chicken first to confirm if the chicken pension is real," adding, "I will rest and then prepare again for the World Championships to show a good performance."

Meanwhile, the South Korean short track team led by Kwak Yoon-gi returned home through Incheon Airport on the evening of February 18.

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