"Truly shameful for Korea": Japanese media also bow their heads over the Taegeukgi incident.... "Another stain, a reality too painful to watch" [Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games]

*This content was translated by AI.

Strong criticism of the host nation's event management has emerged in Japan over the incident where the Taegeukgi was not raised during a historic gold medal moment for the South Korean men's football team.

The South Korea U-23 national football team, led by head coach Lee Min-seong, defeated host Japan 1-0 in the men's football final of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held at Toyota Stadium on the 3rd to win the gold medal. Um Ji-sung (Swansea City) scored the winning goal in the 16th minute of the second half.

Following their victories at Incheon 2014, Jakarta-Palembang 2018, and Hangzhou 2022, South Korea reached the summit again at this tournament, establishing a golden record as the first team to win four consecutive titles in men's football at the Asian Games.

However, an absurd incident occurred at what should have been the most glorious medal ceremony.

After the medal presentation concluded and the national anthem was played, the flags of South Korea, Japan, and China, which had won medals, were raised. The Japanese and Chinese flags went up normally, but only the Taegeukgi of the winning country, the Republic of Korea, located in the center, failed to be raised properly.

South Korean players had to watch the Taegeukgi struggling to rise while they sang the national anthem with their hands over their hearts. Some players stared toward the flagpole with stern expressions.

In the end, the Taegeukgi was not raised properly until the national anthem finished, and it only went up belatedly after officials resolved the issue. Boos also erupted from the stands.

Strong criticism has also been raised in local Japanese media. The Japanese football outlet Sakano reported, "The South Korean flag did not go up. An unexpected major mistake occurred at the men's football medal ceremony," adding, "The Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games have left another 'stain.'"

In particular, the outlet did not dismiss this incident as a mere happenstance.

Sakano criticized strongly, stating, "As the tournament neared its end, an incident occurred where the flag of the winning country failed to be raised," and "They committed a mistake so shameful that it is hard to bear watching, one that warrants deep apologies to the victorious South Korean national team and their fans."

This indicates that the operational failure was severe enough for Japanese media to describe it as something that would make them feel "ashamed" toward the South Korean national team and fans.

Sakano also pointed out that various operational issues had been ongoing prior to this incident.

The outlet explained, "The tournament has drawn attention for numerous problems, including delays or failures of transport vehicles for the South Korean delegation, incidents at accommodations, and complaints about meals."

In fact, the South Korean delegation faced several operational issues during this tournament.

The Nam Ja-chuk-gu (CEO) team previously experienced a delay in arriving at the stadium ahead of their match against Qatar, as the team bus headed to an unrelated baseball field instead of the competition venue.

The Nam Ja-nong-gu (CEO) team also failed to conduct scheduled training before the final against host Japan because the bus to transport the players did not arrive. Transport issues continued even during the move to the airport for their return home after winning the gold medal, with the bus arriving late.

An even more absurd incident occurred at a match involving the South Korean Nam Ja-ha-ki (CEO) team. Before the game, as South Korean players stood facing the Taegeukgi, the national anthem of North Korea was played instead of the South Korean national anthem.

Although the organizing committee belatedly realized the mistake and replayed the correct national anthem, the players had to greet their opponents before the anthem finished as match time approached.

At the end of the tournament, the Taegeukgi was also not raised properly at the medal ceremony where South Korean men's football defeated host Japan to achieve their first-ever four-peat in history.

Sakano pointed out, "For a time, such voices seemed to subside, but the failure to raise the flag of the winning country occurred at the very end of the tournament."

The outlet further remarked, "What kind of image will the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games leave in history?"

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*This content was translated by AI.