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The story
At the Asian Games currently underway in Aichi/Nagoya, South Korea beat Japan 1-0 in the men’s soccer final (October 3, Toyota Stadium). But at the medal ceremony, only the flag of the champion nation, South Korea, failed to go up — it stayed lowered even as the national anthem played. Korean supporters in the stands responded with boos, and the players reportedly looked bewildered. On 5ch, opinions split over whether this was a simple operational blunder or deliberate harassment, with some pointing to a string of past mishaps involving the Korean delegation and saying “this can’t be a coincidence.”
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[Soccer U-21] Stunning scene at the medal ceremony… champion South Korea’s flag never raised, supporters boo as players look on in confusion… Asian Games
◆Aichi/Nagoya Asian Games ▽Men’s Soccer Final: Japan 0–1 South Korea (Oct. 3, Toyota Stadium)
Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here
What people said
Japan Football Association, take responsibility!
Why do these mysterious "mistakes" keep happening?
They're just making a mockery of Korea nonstop
[Important]
・Korea played one fewer match than Japan (Iraq withdrew), so while Japan dominated the first half, Japan — having played the extra match — ran out of stamina and lost focus in the second half, and Korea capitalized on that opening to score. Japan was completely worn out by then
・Despite being the host, Japan actually had a worse schedule than Korea (less rest time before the final)
・Japan's whole squad was U21 (two years younger). Korea's squad was entirely 23 and up, fully using all three overage slots too
・Military service exemption [on the line for Korea]
・On top of that, Japan's side was far from its best lineup — basically a reserve/third-string squad of players 21 and under
That last bit about age — if they lost because they were slacking off and underestimating the opponent, that's just lame, nothing more
why isn't there an article about the China vs. Uzbekistan third-place match?
It nearly turned into a brawl, that was hilarious
Typical Nagoya
It's just pathetic that people this shameless exist
Put them on a bus and take them to the wrong training ground
Play North Korea's national anthem
Don't play the anthem at all
Don't raise the flag ← New
Apparently there's a country that's kept up this kind of harassment against Korea
This kind of thing just drags Japan's reputation through the mud
If anything, my opinion of Korea went up for staying calm about it
I don't know the facts, but at this point it's only natural people assume it's intentional — this is beyond mere coincidence
All they're doing is needlessly stirring up conflict
Go grovel and apologize already
Background and Key Points
This year’s games are the 2026 Asian Games, hosted by Aichi Prefecture and Nagoya City; the men’s soccer final was held at Toyota Stadium, with South Korea defeating Japan 1-0. Tournament organizers have issued no official explanation as to whether the failure to raise the flag at the medal ceremony was a mistake or intentional, and it’s worth noting that the “deliberate harassment” and “scheme by a specific country” theories circulating on 5ch are all unsubstantiated speculation. Within the thread, opinions are split between those who see it as a simple human error and those who, pointing to other alleged incidents raised in the same thread (such as anthem mix-ups and guidance errors), believe it was intentional — neither side has solid proof. The broader games have also seen other flashpoints, such as the handling of the Rising Sun flag and Taiwan’s flag, and this incident is partly being discussed as an extension of that.
*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geisoku Sokuho+) thread “[Asian Games] Trouble at soccer medal ceremony… champion South Korea’s flag not raised, anthem plays while only Korea’s flag stays lowered, supporters boo, players confused.”
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