“Absurd” North Korea stirs controversy again: What kind of disgrace is this at the awards ceremony? “She had the medal around her neck, but…” [Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games]

*This content was translated by AI.

It was an outrageous scene of misconduct. A North Korean boxer, harboring dissatisfaction with the judging decision, refused to participate in a group commemorative photo with all medalists at the Asian Games awards ceremony and left the venue, sparking public outrage.

On the 3rd, Japanese media outlet “Ronsport” reported, “A North Korean athlete has once again engaged in an over-the-top impulsive act at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games,” adding, “Hwang Hyo-soon of North Korea, who won the bronze medal in the women’s 65 kg boxing category, abruptly boycotted the commemorative photo with all medalists.”

According to the media, immediately after the final of the women’s 65 kg boxing event held on the 2nd at the Nishio City General Gymnasium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, Hwang Hyo-soon turned her body and left the scene alone at the moment when all medalists were gathering on the podium to take a photo together, as is customary.

According to the Taiwanese media “Central News Agency,” Farvin Hooda of India, who won the gold medal, Chen Nien-chin of Taiwan, who wore the silver medal around her neck, and Li Shu of China, another bronze medalist, could not hide their bewilderment at the sudden impulsive act. Due to the nature of boxing, which does not have a third-place match for 3rd and 4th place, the selfie and official commemorative photos that required all four athletes to participate together were ultimately conducted with only the three athletes, as Hwang Hyo-soon was absent.

Hwang Hyo-soon’s departure is interpreted as an expression of dissatisfaction with the judging decision in the semifinal. Hwang Hyo-soon, who had been expected to perform well enough to serve as the flag bearer for the North Korean delegation at the opening ceremony, defeated Japan’s Kito Mai 5-0 in the first round and maintained her momentum by defeating an Iranian athlete 5-0 in the quarterfinals. However, she suffered a 2-3 decision loss to Taiwan’s Chen Nien-chin in the semifinal on the 29th of last month, failing to advance to the final.

At the time, Hwang Hyo-soon had lost the first round unanimously by all five judges but managed to secure favorable decisions from four judges in the second round, keeping the match tight. In the end, after a fierce exchange in the third round, she was defeated by a mere one-point margin. Unlike her opponent Chen Nien-chin, who settled for the silver medal, Hwang Hyo-soon carried her sense of grievance from the ring to the podium and expressed it through the ill-mannered act of refusing the photo.

The rough attitude and erratic behavior of the North Korean delegation at this tournament have been a daily topic of criticism. In weightlifting, an incident occurred where athletes refused interviews citing issues with forms of address during a press conference. Following the men’s football team’s defeat to Japan in the semifinals, the head coach responded to questions from Japanese reporters with prolonged silence, protesting the referee’s decisions, among other impulsive actions that are befitting neither the international sports stage.

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*This content was translated by AI.