"Why is Japan doing this until the very end?" The moment of South Korea's gold medal: "Only the Taegeukgi failed to rise"... It stayed that way until the national anthem ended, leaving athletes in disbelief [Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games]

*This content was translated by AI.

The South Korea men's football team wrote a new history by achieving the first-ever four consecutive titles in Asian Games history. However, an absurd incident unfolded at the gold medal ceremony, which should have been the most glorious moment. Only the Taegeukgi of the winning country, South Korea, failed to be raised properly.

The South Korea U-23 men's national football team secured the gold medal by defeating host nation Japan 1-0 in the men's football final at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, held on the 3rd at Toyota Stadium in Japan.

With this victory, South Korea has reached the pinnacle for the fourth consecutive time, following the 2014 Incheon, 2018 Jakarta-Palembang, and 2022 Hangzhou Games, establishing a golden tower as the first team to win four straight titles in men's football at the Asian Games.

However, the joy was short-lived. An unexpected problem arose during the award ceremony held after the match.

After the gold medals were awarded to the South Korean athletes, the national flag raising and the playing of the national anthem began. The athletes stood on the podium, placing their hands over their hearts as they sang the national anthem.

Yet, the Taegeukgi did not rise.

While officials at the flagpole worked frantically to raise the Taegeukgi, the problem was not easily resolved. Even as the national anthem continued to echo, the flag remained stuck at the bottom.

A sense of bewilderment was evident on the faces of the South Korean athletes. Some players kept their hands over their hearts while continuously looking toward the flagpole, and others maintained stern expressions as they watched the situation unfold.

Ultimately, the Taegeukgi failed to be raised properly until the national anthem ended. Afterwards, officials resolved the issue, and the flag was finally hoisted late.

Local Japanese media also paid attention to this scene.

Japanese sports newspaper Sports Hochi reported on the day, "An unexpected incident occurred during the award ceremony. The flag of the winning country, South Korea, was not raised, prompting boos from the cheering squad and leaving the athletes in a state of shock."

The outlet explained, "A mishap occurred as the gold medals were awarded to the South Korean athletes and the process of raising the national flags began," adding, "Due to an error by the person in charge of hoisting, the South Korean flag could not be raised easily while the national anthem of the winning country, South Korea, was playing."

It further reported on the situation at the time, stating, "The performance of the national anthem ended with only the South Korean flag still down."

The reactions of the South Korean athletes, who could not hide their bewilderment, were also detailed.

Sports Hochi reported, "The South Korean athletes were savoring the afterglow of victory with their hands placed on the national flag portion of their uniforms, but they wore bewildered expressions as they watched the flag that would not rise," adding, "Boos erupted from the South Korean cheering squad in response to the unexpected situation, and the stadium was enveloped in a subtle atmosphere."

Throughout this Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, large and small operational issues continued without cease during the tournament period. South Korea also experienced several unexpected situations multiple times regarding transportation, match proceedings, and protocol.

And at the very end of the tournament, another operational accident was added to the golden moment when the South Korea men's football team defeated host nation Japan to achieve their first-ever four consecutive titles.

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*This content was translated by AI.