[Report file] Why Korea is being harassed by the IOC

Korean sports are being teased by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

This is because the IOC is practically helpless in continuing its antinomian behavior beyond 'confidence and ignorance' with regard to the map showing Dokdo as Japanese territory on the Tokyo 2020 Olympic website.

On the 1st, Korea Sports President Lee Ki-heung sent a letter to IOC Chairman Thomas Bach requesting intervention and mediation in relation to the issue of Dokdo marking.

Nine days after this, the IOC sent an official response on the 10th, and both form and content were ignoring Korea.

President Kiheung Lee obviously sent a letter to Chairman Bach, but the reply was written in the name of James Macleod, director of the Olympic Solidarity of the IOC, who had a much lower status.

Content is more relevant.

"We discussed this issue with the Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee, and they say that the marking of Dokdo is just a geopolitical indication and not a political propaganda."

I asked the IOC, but they did not say a word of their opinion and only conveyed the Japanese side's argument as it is.

It was in the summer of 2019 that the issue of Dokdo labeling first became controversial. The gist of the reply sent by the IOC on August 9, 2019 was as follows. "With regard to the issue of Dokdo marking, the Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee has made it clear that what is on their website is a topographic map. The IOC will continue to discuss this issue with the Tokyo Organizing Committee (This topic has been raised with the Tokyo 2020 Organizing) Committee, and we refer you to their statement in which they make it clear that the map on their website is a topographical map of the area. We will continue our discussions with the Organizing Committee about this topic)."

The IOC's response on the 10th is actually just a rehash of what it was two years ago. At the time of the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, as a country that deleted Dokdo from the Korean Peninsula flag and removed the mark of Dokdo from its website in accordance with the recommendations of the IOC, it is a situation that cannot but feel betrayed.

So, why is the IOC showing a double standard of ignoring Korea by taking the side of Japan?

In conclusion, this is because the IOC is driven by the logic of money and power rather than justice and common sense.

First of all, among the 13 Olympic partners, which are the IOC's funding sources, three Japanese companies are Toyota, Bridgestone, and Panasonic.

In contrast, there is only one Korean company, Samsung Electronics.

Samsung Electronics' contract period is until 2028, and there is still a lot of time left, so it is difficult to exercise influence over the IOC by renewing the current contract.

The only thing South Korea can do is actually boycott the Tokyo Olympics.

However, even if they do not participate, the IOC and Japan cannot be disadvantaged.

For Japan, which has to compete fiercely with rival Korea for medals in major sports such as baseball, soccer, and judo, Korea's absence may be rather 'good news'.

The IOC is well aware that South Korea cannot boycott.

In the event of a boycott, the IOC is highly likely to judge that he did not participate for political reasons, and if this happens, he may be banned from participating in international competitions, including the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

Also, in the case of Korea, the IOC is well aware that it is not easy to boycott the Olympics because of the huge benefits such as special military service, pension, and various bounties at stake.

Due to the nature of political exclusion, the IOC does not deal well with the governments of each country.

In the end, in order to properly fight the IOC, the Korean Sports Council must step in.

But even this is practically impossible.

This is because the IOC is the upper body of the Korea Olympic Committee (KOC).

In other words, the minister has to attack the president.

Moreover, the IOC significantly increased the entries of the unified South and North Korean women's ice hockey team at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, and the Korean Sports Council and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism raised the hand of the Sports Council whenever there was a conflict.

In addition, the 25th National Olympic Committee (ANOC) General Assembly will be held in Seoul in October.

The ANOC General Assembly, called the UN General Assembly of the sports world, is one of the representative international sports events where representatives of the National Olympic Committees (NOCs) from 206 countries around the world attend each year to discuss current issues of each NOC and engage in exchange activities with key figures from around the world.

If the Korean Sports Council engages in an all-out war with the IOC, this event, which the Sports Association is ambitiously preparing for, cannot be carried out properly, and it will adversely affect the preparations for the 2024 Gangwon Youth Winter Olympics, the hosting of various international competitions, and the maintenance of the official Taekwondo event. It's possible.

An official from the Korea Sports Council said, "It is upsetting that the IOC is blatantly on the side of Japan, but we cannot fight the IOC, and even if we fight, we will only be penalized. I think the Ministry of Foreign Affairs should take the initiative in solving the issue of Dokdo because it is a territory issue." said.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism urgently sent a letter to the IOC chairman on the 10th in the name of Minister Hwang Hee, urging for mediation, but the response that will come back is not likely to be much different.

It is a pity that there is no sharp tactic to punish the IOC and Japan for their actions.