The Korean Olympic Committee said it secured an official apology and immediate corrective action from the International Olympic Committee and the organizing committee after an incorrect South Korean flag was repeatedly displayed at Olympic short track medal ceremonies.
On Feb. 20 (Korea time), the KOC said it lodged a formal protest with the IOC and organizers and demanded prompt fixes over the inaccurate flag used during ceremonies at the short track venue.
The misprinted flag showed the taegeuk symbol in the center tilted counterclockwise. It was used four times: the men’s 1,000 meters medal ceremony on Feb. 13, where Lim Jong-eon won bronze; the men’s 1,500 meters on Feb. 15, where Hwang Dae-heon won silver; the women’s 1,000 meters on Feb. 16, where Kim Gil-li won bronze; and the women’s 3,000-meter relay on Feb. 19, where South Korea won gold.
The KOC said it visited IOC and organizing committee offices in the athletes’ village with the officially approved flag specifications and showed that the design used at ceremonies did not match the approved version, pressing for changes.
The IOC and organizers acknowledged an error in the local printing process and apologized, the KOC said. They reprinted the correct flag and completed the necessary steps before competition, and began using the corrected flag starting with the women’s 1,500 meters and men’s 5,000-meter relay medal ceremonies.
The KOC said it sent an official letter urging measures to prevent a repeat and calling for a full recheck of flag specifications across all venues at the Milan Winter Olympics.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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