Photo: Sina Weibo
Repeated blunders in displaying the wrong South Korean national flag during the ongoing Paris Olympics have driven South Koreans crazy, but Chinese netizens have joked about it as a “relaxing feeling” that demonstrates the romantic, casual and laid-back attitude of the French.
South Korean sports fans have been going crazy for the Paris Olympics almost every day since the opening ceremony, when the South Korean delegation sailing down the Seine River in the French capital was introduced under North Korea’s official name, “Democratic People’s Republic of Korea” in English. South Korea, meanwhile, is formally known as the Republic of Korea.
On the day of the opening ceremony, the official social media account of the Olympic Games uploaded several sets of photos showing various national delegations sailing down the Seine River by boat. However, some South Korean netizens noticed that only the South Korean flag was blurred and that none of the South Korean athletes’ faces could be clearly seen. The incident sparked a controversy in South Korea, with some netizens claiming that “South Korea was discriminated against,” South Korean newspaper Chosun Daily reported.
Another mistake regarding the South Korean national flag was when French media reported on the Paris Olympics and created a national flag for South Korea by mistakenly combining the national flags of South Korea and Japan into one.
A similar mistake was made again on Monday when the South African national flag was mistakenly used as the South Korean national flag on the medal tally board.
Another incident that angered South Korean sports fans was when South Korean sabre fencer Oh Sang-uk won the country’s first gold medal; his name was misspelled as Oh Sangku.
The mistakes made towards South Korea during the Paris Olympics were not only made by the French host. 9News, one of Australia’s most comprehensive news networks, wrongly used the Chinese national flag to mark the achievements of South Korean athletes in the medal table on the first day of the Paris Olympics.
As the mistakes appeared one after another, the South Korean audience felt hurt and many South Korean netizens referred these mistakes to a matter of diplomatic protocol rather than simply a problem of the Olympic host.
Some South Korean netizens speculated that the Paris Olympics organizing committee is taking revenge on South Korea as the French delegation was marked by a Russian national flag during the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
In fact, the unreliable French organising committee does not have South Korea in its sights, as its mistakes in relation to other countries have also occurred from time to time. During the women’s 100m breaststroke semi-final on Monday, Argentine swimmer Macarena Ceballos had a Chinese flag at her presentation, which surprised and embarrassed her greatly.
Considering so many gaffes and embarrassing moments during the Paris Olympics, many Chinese netizens joked that such incidents represent the French people’s commendable “relaxed feeling.”
According to China Central Television’s live broadcast of the opening ceremony, less than two hours before the start of the opening ceremony, the red carpet had not yet been fully laid. Compared with some well-prepared Olympic Games, the Paris Olympics have demonstrated the openness, freedom and inclusiveness of the French people, Chinese netizens commented.
Unlike the opening ceremonies of previous Olympic Games, which were held in indoor stadiums, the Paris Olympic organizing committee organized an open-air opening ceremony on the banks of the River Seine. With performances organized between the presentation of the athlete delegations from different countries and the audience present on the riverbank, audiences around the world had a pleasant feeling when watching the opening ceremony.
Global times
