"Facing Possible Expulsion from Chinese Short Track Community" Despite Apology from An Hyun-soo... Public Opinion Remains Cold

Viktor An (Korean name: Ahn Hyun-soo), who served as the technical coach for the Chinese short track speed skating team at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] Viktor An (Korean name Ahn Hyun-soo), who served as the technical coach for the Chinese short track speed skating team at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, is expected to be effectively ousted. This is due to his wife listing Taiwan as a country on her online shopping mall.

On the 17th (local time), China Huanlianwang News Center reported, "Although Viktor An apologized for his wife's mistake, it cannot be undone," and stated that he will not be able to work again as a short track coach in China.

The media said, "The Chinese skating community wanted to maintain relations with Viktor An even after the Beijing Olympics," but added, "However, it is now impossible. Due to his foolish wife, he is in a difficult situation, including the termination of contracts with private companies and promotional deals."

Earlier, controversy arose when Taiwan was included as an option for nationality selection during foreign member registration on the website of a cosmetics company operated by Viktor An's wife, Woo Nari. Chinese netizens strongly opposed this, claiming it violated the "One China" principle. The "One China" principle is China's basic policy on the Taiwan issue, meaning China and Taiwan cannot be separated and that the People's Republic of China is the sole legitimate government.

In response to the controversy, Viktor An personally apologized. On the 14th, he stated on Weibo, the Chinese version of Twitter, "Due to negligence in managing my family's website, an error occurred in the default settings. It has now been restored, and I apologize to everyone for this mistake."

Viktor An expressed, "I feel deep remorse for the hurt caused to everyone," and added, "I enjoyed my time as a coach in China very much and have always been grateful for the support of many fans." He further stated, "My family and I have consistently supported the 'One China' principle and ask for your understanding."

An apology was also posted on Woo's site. The apology stated, "We apologize for causing harm to Chinese netizens due to incorrect information. The site was built and managed by an external company, and we were unaware of the incorrect information. We have requested corrections and decided to terminate cooperation."

However, public opinion in China is worsening. Comments on Viktor An's apology included, "If you are sincere, don't just post on Weibo, post the same on Instagram," and "We cannot forgive you."

The process by which Viktor An left Korea and Russia to come to China has also been highlighted. One netizen said, "Viktor An abandoned Korea and even Russia. He came to China chasing money. We cannot expect any patriotism from him."

Moreover, due to this controversy, Junlebao, a famous Chinese infant formula company, terminated its advertising contract with Viktor An.

On the other hand, some voices call for forgiving Viktor An. Some netizens responded, "It's okay," "Viktor An has said many times that he likes China and does not oppose the 'One China' principle," and "He apologized, so we should move on."

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