Elegance: Japanese media nitpicks about Kim Yuna, sparking a war of words between the two countries
Kim Yuna and Asada Mao distinguished themselves at the Vancouver Winter Olympics, but off the rink, the war of words between Japan and South Korea is far from over. Nearly a week after the competition ended, the Japanese media has not given up and started to "nitpick". They strongly demanded that Kim Yuna's figure skating gold medal be stripped because she wore earrings with the J company trademark in the final. After this news came out, the Korean newspaper JoongAng Ilbo immediately retaliated, and Korean netizens also severely criticized the Japanese for their nitpicking and unsportsmanlike conduct which was nauseating.
To Death: Japanese coach beats 17-year-old apprentice to death
It is said that one day as a teacher means a lifetime as a father, but a certain sumo coach in Japan cruelly beat his 17-year-old apprentice to death. In June 2007, the Japanese police received a report that a sumo athlete had been injured during training and was sent to the hospital, where he later died after unsuccessful resuscitation attempts. After an investigation by the police, it was found that this athlete named Saito Yamato had multiple injuries, proving that he had been severely beaten before his death. Subsequently, his coach Tokiatsu admitted that he had hit Saito Yamato on the head with a bottle and punched and kicked him before his death. Later, the police charged Tokiatsu with manslaughter, which caused great controversy in the Japanese sports community.
Brawl: Men's Ice Hockey at the 2007 Asian Winter Games
In a men's ice hockey match at the 2007 Asian Winter Games, Japan and South Korea faced each other. A melee broke out between the two teams 20 seconds before the end of the game. It started when Japan's Kim Yang-woo and South Korea's Park Sung-min wrestled together, followed by both teams joining the fray. Both sides exchanged punches and kicks, and the brawl lasted for two or three minutes. Some players even used hockey sticks, injuring several people with these "weapons." By the time the referees separated the offenders, some people were already injured. Afterwards, the organizing committee punished all the players involved in the fight accordingly, and netizens commented that "neither side was any good."
Murder: Korean baseball prodigy kills lover's family for money
Baseball star Lee Ha-seong was once one of the most charming sports stars in South Korea. However, after his business failure, he became deranged. Upon learning that his lover Kim Yeon-suk had a deposit of 170 million won, Lee Ha-seong had malicious intentions. In February 2008, he went alone to his lover's house and successively killed Kim Yeon-suk and her two young daughters. On his way out with the bodies, he encountered Kim Yeon-suk's eldest daughter, so Lee Ha-seong tricked her into the car and hit her on the head until she died. However, this incident was soon widely reported by the media. Realizing that he was cornered, Lee Ha-seong helplessly chose to drown himself in the river. After the news broke, there was a collective sigh of sorrow throughout South Korea.