South Korea's Olympic committee said Saturday it removed banners at the Olympic athletes' village in Tokyo that referred to a 16th-century war between Korea and Japan after the International Olympic Committee ruled they were provocative.
In agreeing to take down the banners, the South Koreans said they received a promise from the IOC that the displaying of the Japanese "rising sun" flag will be banned at stadiums and other Olympic venues.
This borrowed from the famous words of 16th-century Korean naval admiral Yi Sun-sin, who according to historical lore told King Seonjo of Korea's Joseon Kingdom "I still have 12 battleships left" before pulling off a crucial victory against a larger Japanese fleet during the 1592-1598 Japanese invasions of Korea.
"Under the agreement, the committee will not raise any further debate to allow athletes to fully focus on competition, while the IOC will ban the displaying of the rising sun flag at all Olympic venues so that no political problems would arise," the South Korean committee said in a statement. "If the message is regarded as political, it goes against the message of the Olympics and the Paralympics to bring the world together as one," she said.
South Korean Olympic officials then said Tokyo's organizing committee rejected their demands for the flag to be banned, saying it was widely used in Japan and was not considered a political statement.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
South Korea removes banners at Olympic village after IOC rulingSouth Korea's Olympic committee said Saturday it has removed banners at the Olympic athletes' village in Tokyo that referred to a 16th-century war between Korea and Japan after the International Olympic Committee ruled it was provocative.
Read more »
South Korea removes political banners at Olympic village after IOC rulingThe country’s Olympic committee says it was promised the Japanese “rising sun” flag will be banned at stadiums and other Olympic venues
Read more »
South Korea removes political banners at Olympic village after IOC rulingThe country’s Olympic committee says it was promised the Japanese “rising sun” flag will be banned at stadiums and other Olympic venues
Read more »
South Korea removes banners at Olympic village after IOC rulingSouth Korea's Olympic committee said Saturday it has removed banners at the Olympic athletes' village in Tokyo that referred to a 16th-century war between Korea and Japan after the International Olympic Committee ruled it was provocative.
Read more »