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| Five rings to rule them all |
The pro-Japanese IOC ridiculously claim this is a breach of their ban on using the Olympics as a platform to air political messages, clearly ignoring the obvious fact that there is nothing political about telling the truth, and hypocritically, the creation of modern Olympics with its emphasis on national competition was a politically-motivated act and the IOC has itself developed into a highly political organization. Worse, as Park Jong-woo is said to have been born in Dokdo City, the capital of Dokdo, by banning him from telling the truth of his heritage these IOC foreigners are trying to rob him of his unique Korean birthright.
The petty and pointless move seems designed in part to attract international attention away from the mass suicide which occurred at the final whistle in the match between Korea and Japan, when an estimated 15,000 fans exploded with joy in celebration at Korea's historic victory and as a protest over Japan's continued dubious claim over Dokdo. Tokyo tried to claim they were not responsible for the deaths despite their direct involvement, and - fearing a backlash from the IOC - the Ministry of Journalism had asked the media not to immediately report on it, but the satirical publication The Korea Times soon breached the embargo.
It is not certain if the brave Park Jong-woo will ever receive his medal, and if he doesn't whether this means he will now have to serve his time in the military after all, since only medal-winners are exempt from duty. When President Lee Myung-bak visited Dokdo on Friday he said the islands are "worth sacrificing lives for", and ironically this may mean Park Jong-woo could become one of the first to be readily sacrificed when the war with Japan begins. Unfortunately President Lee will not be able to fight alongside him as he failed to complete anything more than a few weeks of his own military service after developing a bad cough.
Park will at least receive a hero's welcome when he returns home to Dokdo. The Mayor is already arranging a ceremony in which the soccer player will be awarded the symbolic Key to the City of Dokdo. Mayor Kim said the real key would have been given to him, but it was stolen by the Japanese during their period of colonial occupation.
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Key to the City
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