Koreans Enraged At Son Yeon Jae For Liking A Picture Of “Gold Medal Thief” Sotnikova
Olympic Rhythmic Gymnast, Son Yeon Jae, came under a lot of hate after her Instagram account liked a photo of Russian figure skater, Adelina Sotnikova.
She liked a photo of Sotnikova biting her 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics gold medal.
The photo was posted on a fan page account, rather than her official one.
The controversy arose because Adelina Sotnikova “stole” the gold medal from Kim Yuna that year.
Sotnikova and Kim Yuna were competing for the 1st and 2nd place. Kim Yuna had performed effortlessly without a mistake, while Sotnikova stumbled on one of her turns. Regardless of her evident mistake, the judges granted Sotnikova the gold medal.
The case became a global controversy as many experts and viewers around the globe criticized the Russian government for allegedly rigging the point score to award Russia the gold medal.
For Son Yeon Jae, the nation’s rhythmic gymnast, to support the “thief” of the nation’s figure skating champion… Korean netizens were upset, to say the least.
- “Did you seriously like Sotnikova’s gold medal picture? Was it a mistake?”
- “You seriously have the nerve lol”
- “Did you have to like her picture? Do you feel better now?”
- “You can’t do whatever you want claiming it’s your freedom to do so… You’re from the same nation.”
- “Korea’s Sotnikova~ Son Yeon Jae!”
Son Yeon Jae closed down her Instagram as a result but recently re-opened it with a letter of apology.
“Hello, it’s Son Yeon Jae. First of all, I’m sorry for the issue I caused. I was so surprised yesterday when my Instagram became bombarded with hateful comments, so I had shut it down.
I decided to shut it down because it reminded me of the time in my past when I received a lot of hateful comments. I was training alone, so I was flustered and scared. But I got my act together and looked into why I was receiving these comments.
I was so surprised to find out that my Instagram account had liked a photo by Sotnikova. I’m sorry to have worried and disappointed everyone because of my mistake. I think I disappointed everyone farther by not righting the mistake right away but instead closing down my account.
Honestly, I was just very scared. There are people who will always take my words the wrong way so I wasn’t able to gather up the courage to say anything until now. But I understand that I am responsible for whatever happens on my account, so I wanted to write a letter of apology.
I’ll reflect back on my mistake and make sure nothing like his happens again. I will act more honestly and do my best to show you a more improved side of myself. I will do everything I can to not hurt those who always cheer me on, even though I am lacking.”
— Son Yeon Jae
Adelina Sotnikova will not be participating in the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics due to an injury.
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