[Anchor]
As you saw earlier, while the flag bearers proudly held high the Taegeukgi, South Korea's national flag, upon departure, they were unable to carry it upon arriving at their destination. Local police had blocked them from entering with the Taegeukgi. Meanwhile, "Toyotomi Hideyoshi," who previously sparked controversy by appearing at an athletes' village event, has surfaced once again on the organizing committee's official social media.
Reporting from Nagoya, Han Sung-hee has the details.
[Reporter]
The main delegation of the South Korean national team exits the arrivals hall at Chubu Centrair International Airport in Nagoya, their battleground.
However, unlike their departure from Incheon International Airport, the Taegeukgi is nowhere to be seen in the hands of flag bearers Shin Yubin and Seo Seung-jae.
According to SBS reporting, it was confirmed that local police intervened and prevented them from carrying the flag.
An official from the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee stated, "Our officials strongly protested, but the local police refused to back down, and in the end, we were unable to carry the flag," adding, "We were not given a clear reason for the restriction."
With the exception of the Tokyo Olympics, where flags could not be carried due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the South Korean delegation has entered the arrivals hall carrying the Taegeukgi at every Olympic and Asian Games.
This is not the only questionable incident.
Three days ago, when Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the mastermind behind the Japanese invasions of Korea, appeared at a cruise athletes' village event and sparked controversy, the organizing committee stated two days ago (September 16) that it would ensure similar incidents do not recur in the future.
Yet, just hours later that very night, a video featuring Toyotomi was brazenly uploaded to the official social media account operated by the organizing committee.
The post even included the caption, "We brought their burning passion and powerful words to prepare for the sports festival."
The video was flooded with comments from netizens across various Asian countries criticizing the organizing committee's management.
The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee sent a letter under the name of President Yoo Seung-min to the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and the organizing committee, expressing regret and demanding preventive measures.
[Lee Sang-hyun / Chef de Mission of the South Korean Delegation (Yesterday): While we respect local Japanese culture, it is regrettable that there wasn't more consideration shown toward our delegation.]
A sports festival meant to foster harmony in Asia is being tainted even before its start by incidents that offend participating nations.
(Video Report: Choi Dae-woong, Video Editing: Kim Ho-jin)
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