A day after Kwon Soon-Woo went viral online for his infamous ‘tennis racket-smashing incident’ at the Hangzhou Asian Games, the KoreanSports and Olympic Committee (KSOC) issued an official apology for their athlete’s unruly behavior.
“We will take an appropriate action on the matter after a comprehensive review following the end of the tournament,” KSOC said in a statement on September 26. “We once again deeply apologize to our people who were disappointed by this incident.”
On the same day, Kwon Soon-Woo also posted a handwritten apology letter for his post-match behavior on his Instagram.
Kwon and the apology
Translated by Koreaboo:
Hello, this is Kwon Soon Woo.
I did something shameful as a National Team athlete after the loss to Samrej Kasidit in the second round of the Asian Games.
I apologize to everyone rooting for the National Team and those in the audience. I’m sorry.
I apologize again to , whom I offended with my actions.
I sincerely regret and am reflecting on my actions after the match. I will be more wary of the responsibilities as an athlete playing for the Korean flag and will be more careful in the future.
I apologize again to all those who love sports.
Kwon, who currently ranks 112th, lost a tennis match against Thailand’s Kasidit Samrej, who is ranked 636. Kwon slammed his racket repeatedly on the court after the match, utterly destroying it out of frustration. Samrej attempted to shake Kwon’s hand, but Kwon ignored him and walked out of the court without pausing to acknowledge anyone.
Caught on camera and quickly shared on social media, Kwon was reprimanded by netizens for his rude and “unsportsmanlike” attitude towards his opponent. His girlfriend, Yubin, a former member of the Wonder Girls, also got flooded with hate comments on her Instagram for her boyfriend’s actions, with some expressing their worries and asking her to end her relationship with Kwon.
Not only did Kwon not win a medal in the competition, but it also ended his chances of being exempted from military service. And many fans thought that this was the main cause of Kwon’s outburst on the court.
Regardless of the reason, Kwon is now facing the consequences of his unruly behavior at the Asian Games.
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The photo above is from a YouTube screengrab