Sports
Asian Games Fallout: A Korean Player's Exemption Boast and the OCA's Dismissal
As the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games closed, two moments went viral in Japan. A Korean men's soccer player who won gold said he had played only for the military-service exemption, and the captain was reported beaming that he would not have to enlist, prompting an apology after a backlash at home and abroad. Separately, an OCA official waved off the recurring transport delays as '0.000001% of the whole,' which many read as defensive. Japanese reaction split between criticism of both and a minority defending the players.