"Chosenjin, I can't trust Korea." The Japanese president who relentlessly mocked them with such shockingly offensive language is now facing 'stop-loss selling' even in Japan... How serious was this 'shocking abuse'?

*This content was translated by AI.

"Even in Japan, people are cutting ties." Takahiro Kitano, former vice president of the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC), has resigned abruptly amid a scandal involving his derogatory remarks against Koreans, prompting even the JOC leadership to express regret.

"Recently, the Japanese media outlet 'Daily' reported that Seiko Hashimoto, JOC president, stated during a regular press conference, 'It is very regrettable for the JOC that the former vice president has resigned. We have accepted his intention to resign.'"

Previously, Takahiro Kitano Jeon (Chairman) sparked controversy when it was revealed that he made inappropriate remarks during a hearing regarding the issue of losing the qualification for the Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Olympics held in February due to administrative errors by the Japanese Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation, which he led.

According to leaked audio data exposed by the Japanese media outlet 'Slow News', during a crisis meeting, when a director proposed improving the athlete support system, Takahiro Kitano Jeon (Chairman) said, "Even a fool or a Chosenjin could do something like reporting results and analyzing them," using racist slurs that insulted Koreans and caused international shock. As the situation escalated into an uncontrollable racial discrimination scandal violating the Olympic Charter, Takahiro Kitano Jeon (Chairman) apologized and abruptly resigned from his position as Yeon Maeng (Chairman) and as JOC vice president on the 12th.

Regarding this scandal, Ha Si-mo-to (Chairman) stated, "Verification of the facts regarding the remarks is an internal matter for each sports organization, so the JOC cannot take any official stance," while also bowing his head and saying, "The JOC is also responsible for the sound operation of its affiliated organizations. The JOC will firmly work to restore trust for sound operations."

While the JOC leadership rushed to express regret and draw a line, the actual atmosphere among Japanese athletes locally was one of cynical reaction, saying "the inevitable has happened," and welcoming the end of Takahiro Kitano Jeon (Chairman)'s autocratic rule. According to a report by Japanese media outlet 'TBS', Genji Murakami and Yoshihiro Kaneko, former Japanese bobsleigh representatives, stated in a press conference, "Regardless of the discriminatory remarks exposed this time, we athletes have always been talking about 'such a problem will eventually surface.'" They also revealed, "We understand that Takahiro Kitano Jeon (Chairman) has frequently made discriminatory remarks targeting specific countries."

Takahiro Kitano Jeon (Chairman) was a heavyweight in the Japanese winter sports scene who had monopolized his position for 14 years, exceeding the 12th-year term limit stipulated in the federation's bylaws. Even last month, he visited the 2018 PyeongChang Memorial Foundation in South Korea to discuss Japan-South Korea cooperation, showing a double-faced attitude, but it was revealed that internally he had always dismissed South Korea's cooperation proposals, saying, "Korea cannot be trusted."

Japanese athletes are relieved by the news of the unilateral leader's resignation. Murakami said, "Now, there are colleagues who believe the federation will be normalized and are saying they will return to active duty once again," urging comprehensive reform.

Meanwhile, despite the disgraceful departure of the perpetrator and the condemnation from local Japanese athletes, the Korea Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation, the victimized party, showed a lukewarm attitude by only confirming that it received an apology letter from the Japanese side, leaving a sense of regret as it has no plans for an official additional statement or protest.

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*This content was translated by AI.