The 2012 London Olympics are coming to a close, but it seems like controversy and conflict are still widespread in the festival. Most recently, an issue involving the withdrawal of a bronze medal from South Korean soccer player Park Jong-soo has sparked rigorous debate and a re-evaluation of what proper Olympic etiquette is.
Park, who played all 90 minutes of the bronze medal game between Japan and South Korea, held up a sign that read “독도는 우리땅,” or “Dok-Do is our territory” in front of the crowd at the field.
Dok-Do is a small island to the east of the Korean peninsula. It has been disputed for years between Japan and Korea, as acquiring the land gives the country in charge rights to the area around the island, which contain resources such as natural gas.
He now faces investigations from both the International Olympic Committee and the FIFA, the international organization for soccer. Both organizations strictly prohibit political statements being displayed by players on the field.
So far, the South Korean Olympic Committee has banned Park from attending the medal ceremony. However, there still remains the question of whether Park should be stripped of his medal privileges completely.
Questions remain about whether Park had preemptively planned this political protest despite knowing about the regulations. Some reports from viewers and the audience at the stadium indicate that Park had found the sign from a Korean fan in the stands, and that Park took the sign in a heat-of-the-moment decision.
Yet another question that remains unanswered is Park’s status in military service. According to Korean federal law, all males are required by law to serve in the military for a set period, with certain exceptions. One of these exceptions is being awarded a medal in the Olympic Games. Although the rest of the South Korean football team is exempt from military service, the situation for Park is less clear.
Decisions about Park’s medal privileges will be decided by the International Olympic Committee, and further actions regarding Park’s military service will be up to South Korean officials.
Park was the first Olympic Games participant to have been punished for making a political statement during a game.
