KSOC chief calls Nagoya Asian Games most-protested, flags athlete conduct
Version 3: The update adds the military service controversy involving winning baseball and football players, and Yoo Seung-min’s response that education on conduct, communication and social media use will be strengthened.
In short
Yoo Seung-min, president of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee, called the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games the event his organisation protested at most, at a closing press conference in Nagoya on Oct 4, pointing to athletes being dispersed to a cruise ship, container housing and city hotels instead of a village. Korea finished third overall with 150 medals — 39 gold, 43 silver and 68 bronze — fewer than at Hangzhou 2022, according to figures presented at the conference. Yoo also said athlete education would be strengthened after comments by winning baseball and football players about military service drew criticism.
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Yoo Seung-min, president of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee, described the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games as the event his organisation protested at most, at a closing press conference at Korea House in Nagoya on Oct 4. The Dong-A Ilbo quoted him saying it was probably the games where the committee sent the most protest letters to the organising committee, and Newsis reported that the briefing was held that morning with delegation head Lee Sang-hyun and national training centre chief Kim Taek-soo present alongside him. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 7 ]
Yoo said athletes were housed on a cruise ship, in container accommodation and in city hotels instead of a separate athletes’ village, which Yonhap reported caused transport chaos, with accommodation, transport, training and competition conditions all showing problems. The Dong-A Ilbo reported that the committee sent a protest letter whenever an incident occurred, seeking an explanation and measures to prevent a repeat. At the Oct 3 men’s football final, where Yoo attended as a medal presenter, the taegukgi did not rise properly during Korea’s gold medal ceremony, Yonhap and the Dong-A Ilbo reported. Yoo said it was hard to go into detail with the games nearly over and that the event would serve as a lesson for next year’s Chungcheong Universiade. [ 1 , 4 , 7 ]
Korea finished third overall with 150 medals — 39 gold, 43 silver and 68 bronze — from 790 athletes entered in 41 of the 43 sports, according to figures presented at the conference. The committee attributed the lower total compared with Hangzhou 2022 to the exclusion of sports such as roller skating, go and shooting running target and to the reduction of the taekwondo sparring programme, and cited first golds in new events, including the 3x3 men’s basketball gold that was Korea’s 800th Asian Games gold. [ 1 , 7 ]
Newsis reported that comments by winning baseball and football players about military service drew criticism: baseball captain Noh Si-hwan said he did not care about the criticism and that only the gold medal mattered, football captain Lee Gi-hyeok said in a broadcast interview that he was not going to the army, and Park Seung-su posted a selfie wearing what appeared to be a prepared discharge cap. Yoo said the committee runs extensive education in the athletes’ village on etiquette, social media and interviews but that controlling every remark is difficult, and that education on conduct and communication would be strengthened. The Chosun Ilbo noted that the arts and sports personnel system for Asian Games gold medallists is not a military service exemption. [ 5 , 6 ]
Kim Taek-soo said in his performance report that the team achieved a wider spread of medal sports and first golds in new events despite structural disadvantages, Yonhap and NoCut News reported. Delegation head Lee Sang-hyun said he believed he was prepared after serving as deputy head at Hangzhou and Paris but that more varied problems arose than expected, and that the lesson was to prepare athletes in advance so they are not thrown by unexpected incidents. Yoo said the committee would step up international activity to handle such situations, and the committee said China, host Japan and Central and Southeast Asian countries are improving quickly and that it must reassess per-sport competitiveness two years before the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. [ 1 , 7 ]
Why it matters
The closing review puts the organising committee’s cost-cutting operations — dispersed housing, transport disruption and a flag-raising error — on the record, and the committee says it will press hosts more firmly through international activity in future. It also opens a domestic argument about conduct and military service benefits that the committee says it will address through training rather than control. No document carries any response from the organisers.
Key facts
- Yoo Seung-min, president of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee, held the closing press conference for the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at Korea House in Nagoya on Oct 4, with delegation head Lee Sang-hyun and national training centre chief Kim Taek-soo present. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 7 ]
- Yoo described the games as the event his organisation protested at most, and the Dong-A Ilbo quoted him saying it was probably the games where the committee sent the most protest letters to the organising committee. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 7 ]
- Yoo said athletes were housed on a cruise ship, in container accommodation and in city hotels instead of a separate athletes’ village, which produced transport chaos; the Dong-A Ilbo reported the committee sent protest letters demanding explanations and prevention measures. [ 1 , 4 , 7 ]
- The taegukgi did not rise properly during Korea’s gold medal ceremony at the Oct 3 men’s football final, a match Yoo attended as a medal presenter. [ 1 , 4 , 7 ]
- Korea finished third overall with 150 medals — 39 gold, 43 silver and 68 bronze — from 790 athletes entered in 41 of the 43 sports. [ 1 , 7 ]
- The committee attributed the lower total than at Hangzhou 2022 to excluded sports and a reduced taekwondo sparring programme, and cited first golds in new events, including the 3x3 men’s basketball gold that was Korea’s 800th Asian Games gold. [ 1 , 7 ]
- Yoo said education on conduct, communication and social media use would be strengthened after comments by winning baseball and football players about military service drew criticism. [ 5 , 6 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Yoo Seung-min, president of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee, described the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games as the event his organisation protested at most, speaking at a closing press conference at Korea House in Nagoya on Oct 4. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 7 ]
- The press conference was held in Nagoya on Oct 4 with delegation head Lee Sang-hyun and national training centre chief Kim Taek-soo appearing alongside Yoo, Newsis reporting that it took place in the morning. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 7 ]
- Accommodation and transport problems ran through the games; Yoo said athletes were dispersed to a cruise ship, container accommodation and city hotels instead of a separate athletes’ village, which Yonhap reported caused a transport crisis. [ 1 , 4 , 7 ]
- The taegukgi did not rise properly during Korea’s gold medal ceremony at the Oct 3 men’s football final, where Yoo attended as a medal presenter. [ 1 , 4 , 7 ]
- Korea finished third overall with 150 medals — 39 gold, 43 silver and 68 bronze — from 790 athletes entered in 41 of the 43 sports, figures presented at the committee’s own press conference. [ 1 , 7 ]
- The committee tied the lower medal total compared with Hangzhou 2022 to the exclusion of sports such as roller skating, go and shooting running target and to the reduced taekwondo sparring programme. [ 1 , 7 ]
- Yoo said national team education on conduct, communication and social media use would be strengthened after remarks by winning baseball and football players about military service drew criticism. [ 5 , 6 ]
Still unclear
- How many protest letters the committee sent to the organising committee, and what response it received. Only the Dong-A Ilbo summary says letters were sent and that they asked for explanations and prevention measures; no document carries any reply from the organisers.
- What the organisers said about the flag-raising problem at the men’s football final. Yonhap, the Dong-A Ilbo and NoCut News report the incident but none carries a reaction from the organising committee.
- What Yoo said about military service exemptions during the press conference. Yonhap’s article text breaks off just as he begins to speak about the subject.
- How many medals Korea won at Hangzhou 2022 for comparison with this total. Yonhap and NoCut News say the total fell but give no Hangzhou figure.
- Whether Yoo’s remarks on strengthening education also covered football players, who likewise do not stay in the athletes’ village. Newsis notes the comment referred to baseball players and adds that football could be seen as included, which is the outlet’s own reading rather than Yoo’s statement.
- The Chosun Ilbo’s explanation of how the arts and sports personnel system works for Asian Games gold medallists. Only a summary is available and it breaks off mid-sentence, after stating the system is not a military service exemption.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- The Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games closing ceremony is scheduled to begin, Newsis reports. [ 5 ]
- Yonhap publishes its account of Yoo Seung-min’s closing press conference at Korea House in Nagoya. [ 1 ]
- The Korea Economic Daily publishes a report under the headline on Yoo calling the games the most-protested and vowing to use them as a lesson. [ 2 ]
- Newsis publishes photographs and captions from the press conference, which it says was held on the morning of Oct 4 in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture. [ 3 ]
- The Dong-A Ilbo publishes its report on the conference, the protest letters and the flag incident at the men’s football final. [ 4 ]
- Newsis publishes a second report on Yoo’s response to the players’ remarks about military service. [ 5 ]
- The Chosun Ilbo publishes its report on the military service controversy and Yoo’s call for remarks befitting a national team member. [ 6 ]
- NoCut News publishes its account of the “most-protested games” and the medal tally. [ 7 ]