‘Extremely Inappropriate’: South Korean Broadcaster Apologizes For Photos Aired About Other Countries During Olympics

The CEO of a South Korean broadcaster apologized Monday afternoon after his network aired unflattering images and descriptions for various countries that were participating in the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony. 

During the opening ceremony, South Korean broadcaster MBC provided viewers with photos to help them understand a little more about each country that was introduced. For example, The Washington Post reports that South Korea was represented by “famous buildings and statues and the K-pop group BTS.”

But the photos for other countries were less flattering, as first noted by South Korea-based journalist Raphael Rashid. 

The Ukrainian delegation was shown alongside a picture of Chernobyl, the nuclear disaster that occurred in the Soviet Union in the 1980s, and the Haitian team was accompanied by a photo of what appears to be a street on fire, an apparent nod to the unrest and uncertainty that took hold after the assassination of the Haitian president. Mongolia reportedly was shown with a photo of Genghis Khan, the 13th-century conquerer. 

South Korean broadcaster MBC used images to “represent” each country during the #Tokyo2020 Opening Ceremony.

Italy: pizza
Norway: salmon
Haiti: upheaval
Ukraine: Chernobyl pic.twitter.com/KpUXATuZld

— Raphael Rashid (@koryodynasty) July 23, 2021

Economy size and COVID-19 vaccination rates for each country also appeared on screen. 

During the broadcast, the South Korean network made note of Afghanistan’s GDP, and that only 0.6% of the country’s population has been vaccinated against COVID-19.

Park Seong-jae, CEO of MBC, apologized in a Monday presser, and said the broadcast “undermined the Olympic spirit of friendship, solidarity, and harmony among the people of the earth.” Park also called some of the photos and subtitles that aired during the broadcast “extremely inappropriate.”

During one portion of the broadcast, MBC described Syria as a place with rich underground resources and a “civil war that has been going on for 10 years,” as The New York Times reported. The Marshall Islands were described as a former nuclear test site for the United States. 

“‘[W]e bow our heads in apology to the people of the country who have been hurt and to the viewers who have been disappointed,” said Park in a statement. “Last weekend was the most painful and disastrous time since I took over as MBC president.”

“We will thoroughly investigate the cause and hold you accountable. We will also undertake major renovation work. To further strengthen the broadcasting code, company regulations, and internal deliberation regulations,  Ethics Committee created a content adequacy review system. We will make every effort to prevent the recurrence of accidents,” said Park. 

According to the Korea Herald, the Korean Communications Commission punished MBC for “disparaging countries” during the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

“In the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Sudan was described as an unstable country with a long civil war and Zimbabwe as a country with deadly inflation,” the Korean news outlet reported.

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