South Korea’s flag fails to rise during anthem at Asian Games football medal ceremony
In short
South Korea beat Japan 1-0 in the men’s football final at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Oct 3, winning a fourth consecutive title. At the medal ceremony in Toyota, South Korea’s flag did not rise during the anthem and went up only after the anthem ended, while Japan’s and China’s flags rose normally. Korean supporters booed, and Korean media and captain Lee Ki-hyeok raised the question of whether the failure was intentional.
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South Korea beat Japan 1-0 in the men’s football final at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Oct 3, taking the gold medal and a fourth consecutive title at the tournament. According to Yomiuri Shimbun, Japan conceded in the 61st minute and could not break down South Korea’s defence, taking silver for the third Games in a row and missing its first gold since the 2010 Guangzhou Games. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
The medal ceremony at Toyota Stadium was disrupted. Mainichi Shimbun, citing Yonhap News and its own reporting in Toyota, said the flag was to be raised as the South Korean anthem played but did not rise properly, and went up only after the anthem had finished. Yomiuri Shimbun said the flag was raised again after the medal presentation, that athletes looked confused and that booing came from the stands. Livedoor News, citing the Korean outlet Korean Center, said the flags of bronze medallist China and silver medallist Japan were raised normally. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
South Korea captain Lee Ki-hyeok said the players and the fans must have felt dissatisfied, and that it would not be good if the failure was intentional, according to Mainichi Shimbun. Livedoor News reported that Korean media and the captain raised the question of whether it was deliberate, and that Korean Center said it had not been confirmed whether the flag failed to rise because of a fault in the flagpole equipment or a mistake by venue staff. The documents contain no comment from the organisers or other explanation of the cause. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
Mainichi Shimbun reported that the flag incident was one of several problems involving South Korea at the Games: before a men’s hockey match against Bangladesh, North Korea’s anthem was played instead of South Korea’s, prompting a protest from the Korean side, and at the men’s basketball final the vehicle due to carry the players did not arrive, so practice was cancelled. [ 2 ]
Why it matters
The ceremony mishap came during a regional multi-sport event that Japanese and Korean outlets both covered closely, and Mainichi Shimbun reported it as one of several organisational problems involving South Korea at the Games. Korean media and the team captain questioning whether the failure was intentional keeps the incident open to further scrutiny of the organisers, though no cause has been confirmed in the documents.
Key facts
- South Korea beat Japan 1-0 in the men’s football final at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Oct 3, winning gold and a fourth consecutive title. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Japan took silver for the third Games in a row, missing its first gold since the 2010 Guangzhou Games. [ 3 ]
- At the medal ceremony at Toyota Stadium, South Korea’s flag did not rise during the anthem and was raised only after the anthem ended. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The flags of silver medallist Japan and bronze medallist China were raised normally during their anthems. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Korean supporters in the stands booed during the ceremony. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- South Korea captain Lee Ki-hyeok said the players and fans must have felt dissatisfied and that it would not be good if the failure was intentional. [ 2 , 4 ]
- Korean media said it had not been confirmed whether the failure was caused by equipment trouble or a mistake by venue staff. [ 1 ]
- Mainichi Shimbun reported other incidents involving South Korea at the Games, including North Korea’s anthem being played before a men’s hockey match and the cancellation of a basketball practice when a transport vehicle did not arrive. [ 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- Whether the flag failed to rise because of a fault in the flagpole equipment or a mistake by venue staff. Livedoor News, citing the Korean outlet Korean Center, said the cause had not been confirmed; no other document gives a cause.
- Whether the failure was intentional. The question was raised by Korean media and by captain Lee Ki-hyeok, who said it would not be good if it was intentional; the documents report no evidence of intent.
- Whether the organisers or Games officials have commented or offered an explanation. None of the documents includes a statement from the organisers or an explanation of the incident.
- Japan’s and China’s flags were raised smoothly during their anthems. Reported by a single source so far
- South Korea captain Lee Ki-hyeok commented on the incident. Reported by a single source so far
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Livedoor News, citing the Korean outlet Korean Center, reports that South Korea’s flag was not raised properly at the medal ceremony and that the cause had not been confirmed. [ 1 ]
- Mainichi Shimbun reports the flag trouble along with other incidents involving South Korea at the Games, and captain Lee Ki-hyeok’s comment. [ 2 ]
- Yomiuri Shimbun reports Japan’s 0-1 defeat, South Korea’s fourth consecutive title and the flag-raising trouble at the ceremony. [ 3 ]
- Livedoor News reports that Korean media and captain Lee Ki-hyeok questioned whether the flag failure was intentional. [ 4 ]