South Korea's men's football team won the gold medal but failed to raise the national flag, causing another controversy at the Nagoya Asian Games
Quick Look
- The South Korean men's football team defeated Japan 1:0 in the Nagoya Asian Games gold medal match to win their seventh gold medal, completing their fourth consecutive championship.
- However, the South Korean flag failed to rise correctly to the top of the flagpole with the national anthem during the awards ceremony, causing dissatisfaction among South Korean players and spectators.
- Captain Lee Ki-hyuk expressed regret.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The South Korean men's football team won the gold medal at the Nagoya Asian Games, completing its fourth consecutive championship and the seventh gold medal in team history. There have been many organizational errors during the Nagoya Asian Games, including the failure of the shuttle bus to arrive before the men's basketball game, the playing of North Korean songs during the hockey event, and the misspoken words of the modern pentathlon emcee.
South Korea men's football team wins gold. (Provided by Nagoya Asian Games Preparatory Committee)
[Reporter Lu Yangxuan/Comprehensive Report] The controversial Nagoya Asian Games had another surprise in the men's football gold medal match yesterday. South Korea defeated landlord Japan 1:0 in the gold medal match to win the gold medal. However, during the award ceremony, the South Korean flag failed to rise to the top when the national anthem was played, which also caused public opinion in South Korea to explode afterwards.
South Korea completed its fourth consecutive men's football championship at the Nagoya Asian Games and won the seventh gold medal in team history. However, there was an episode after the game. When the South Korean team was about to receive the award and prepare to raise the national flag, the national flag failed to rise to the top of the flagpole in time to the rhythm of the South Korean anthem. The personnel responsible for raising the flag on site also seemed to have operational problems. The South Korean players stood on the stage wearing gold medals and looked at the flagpole in astonishment. Some players even pointed directly at the flagpole. What was even more embarrassing was that until the South Korean song ended, the South Korean flag still failed to rise to the top of the flagpole, and the audience booed.
Please read on...
Later, South Korean team captain Lee Ki-hyuk said in an interview, "If it was intentional, it is really inappropriate. I think the award ceremony is an occasion to congratulate us. We have worked so hard, but in the end, even a Taegeuk flag could not be raised properly. I feel very sorry for this. Not only the players, I think the fans who came to the scene to cheer us on should also be dissatisfied."
The organizers of the Nagoya Asian Games continued to cheat during the Asian Games, and the South Korean team fell victim many times. In addition to canceling training before the shuttle bus did not arrive before the men's basketball gold medal game, a hockey event played a North Korean anthem instead of a South Korean anthem. After winning the gold medal in the modern pentathlon, the emcee made a mistake in saying "Republic of Korea" in English but said "Republic of China". "Sports Korea" was furious. The Asian Games started and ended with controversy, and Japan was truly evaluated as "the worst host country in history."
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
The South Korean sports department will formally report to the Olympic Council of Asia multiple organizational errors in the Nagoya Asian Games.
Likely · Within weeks
Open Questions
- Will the Nagoya Asian Games organizers provide a formal explanation for the flag-raising mistake?
- Will the South Korean sports department lodge a formal protest with the Olympic Council of Asia over this matter?
- Will this incident affect South Korea's trust in Japan's hosting of international sports events in the future?
