To a third party, it would probably seem like nothing but a ridiculous story. No, it’s just embarrassing. I wish both sides would stop it already.
How long will it last? Japan and South Korea’s offensive over Kim Yona intensifies.
-Chinese media reports
According to an article from the Tai Tan Weekly published on March 25, 2010, the Japan-Korea conflict surrounding Kim Yuna, the gold medalist in the women’s figure skating event at the Vancouver Winter Olympics, has intensified.
The conflict began in 2009 when Kim Yuna claimed that she was obstructed by a Japanese skater during practice just before a competition. This was widely reported by the Korean media, which led to a surge of anti-Japanese sentiment in Korea… (omitted) … Later, during the Four Continents Figure Skating Championships held in Korea, an incident occurred in which Mao Asada, who had participated in the competition, was secretly photographed by a hotel employee. This infuriated Japanese fans.
Although Japan appeared to be the target of unilateral harassment from Korea, Japan finally fought back during the Vancouver Olympics. In the same competition… (omitted)… Suspicions that Kim Yuna had bribed the judges spread on Japanese internet forums. Korean users, who were angered by this, launched cyber-attacks, which led to retaliation from some Japanese users who attacked Korean websites.
In addition, several Japanese weekly magazines reported a series of gossip items about Kim Yuna, such as “suspicions of violating the Olympic charter,” “a nude porn video,” and “her coach and choreographer being homosexuals.” Korean media responded by calling these reports “completely baseless,” and Korean users also strongly objected to what they saw as “insults” against Kim Yuna, the “nation’s sister.” The conflict between Japan and Korea continues to intensify, and there seems to be no sign of it abating. (End of quote)
I’ll start by saying that I am a big fan of figure skater Mao Asada. (omitted) However, when I see comments like “her routine is junior-level” or “she’s just doing simple things anyone can do” directed at Kim Yuna, it pains me even more. It’s unbearable to see people who were supporting Mao Asada saying these things. (omitted) Criticizing Kim Yuna for the wrong reasons and defending Mao Asada will only lower her own evaluation.
Blog ‘Figure skating koto hajimete’ “want to keep this in mind when talking about Kim Yona’s score” Adapted from
I completely agree. It’s also painful for me. For Chinese magazines, this may be an outsider’s issue, so they seem to be making fun of the “Japan-Korea fan rivalry” based solely on what they see on the internet. However, I would like them to report properly that only a small number of people are getting so worked up over this.
Marathon runners who come to Japan are said to be deeply moved and surprised that people along the way cheer not only for Japanese runners but also for themselves without discrimination. At the recent Japan-Korea World Cup, the manners of Japanese supporters and their attitude towards foreign players were praised by the world with astonishment.
We want the small group of heartless “anti-Korean” groups like “Zaitokukai” and the media to stop trampling on such evaluations. It is absurd to selectively make only such negative things “international standards”.
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