Korea comes under fire over dubious Asiad decisions
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Thai social media are always very active, but online activity has spiked in the final stages of the Asian Games in Incheon.
Just before the semi-final of the men’s football match between Thailand and host South Korea, the media reported that social media users had bombarded the Korean Football Association’s Facebook page, forcing its closure as many people went out of hand. They warned South Korea not to cheat, citing previous incidents at major sporting events in the country.
The action became the talk of the town, with some observers saying they disapproved but couldn’t help feeling amused.
When South Korea won 2-0 on Tuesday, a lot of Thai football fans were upset by some of the refereeing decisions, including the awarding of a penalty for a Thai foul outside the penalty area and the denial of a Thailand penalty when a Korean player handled the ball inside the penalty area.
Also, slow motion replays for ambiguous plays were not shown in every case.
Due to the perception of unfair treatment, scornful messages against South Korea flooded the timeline. Some said the Games made politically divided Thais united.
Panachit Kittipanya-ngam posted: “Final score 2-0. The first goal was really strong. The second goal was really crooked. Please do not praise me as Korean-style handsome in the near future.”
@kafaak posted: “My brother’s Korean friend posted a status on Facebook: ‘Referee, what kind of judgement did you make? You made my [Thai] wife kick me’.”
Some people posted that they would stop being a huge fan of Korean entertainment stars, at least for a while.
Knowing that the host nation will have to compete against North Korea for the football gold medal, many people said they would throw their support behind the latter.
Pictures of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un have been widely posted with messages like “crush South Korea”.
At the same time, the Thai football team seems to have replaced some of the Korean stars in the hearts of many Thai fans.
Pictures of the players have been widely circulated, with many people commentating that the players look better than their Korea counterparts. However, a post at Pantip.com said angry Thais should protest only with good sense and not harass others like Korean celebrities. Many agreed.
The team has received a lot of praise. Dubbed the new Dream Team, the players were admired for their demonstration of determination and self-control. They kept fighting hard until the end of the game despite Korea’s lead.
@BrideOfCentury posted: “I agree [with other Twitter users] that what is really impressive right now is that now we see our football team is developing to the next step.”
Thailand coach Kiatisuk Senamuang congratulated the hosts after Tuesday’s match. He said he hoped they would go on to clinch gold – but in “a beautiful way", not via penalty kicks they didn’t deserve.
Besides football, the footage of a Mongolian boxer hitting his South Korean rival and female Indian boxer Sarita Devi refusing to accept the bronze medal have also been popular online.
@TamRagazzi’s post on Twitter was circulated on Facebook. He compared the beaten up faces of the South Korean and Mongolian boxers with the 2-0 scoreline in the football.
Some people made the connection between the football loss and what could be the declining popularity of South Korean products in Thailand or straight out said they would give the products a wide berth.
Wanna Natee posted on Facebook: “I read the news about Korean boxing. I don’t know what to say but I wish your sales go well, Samsung!"
@tulsathit posted: “Rant: Refereeing issues in South Korea aren’t doing Samsung products in Asia any good.” And @khajochi posted: “I will skip the Korean-style grilled food for a month. #Upset.”
It is not yet known if the sales and popularity of Korean products have taken a hit. Stay tuned.
