South Korea midfielder Park Jong-woo did not participate in the medal ceremony after holding up a political sign.

http://www.newsday.com/sports/olympics/south-korean-player-not-at-olympic-medal-ceremony-1.3897694?qr=1

South Korean player not at Olympic medal ceremony
Originally published: August 11, 2012 8:58 AM
Updated: August 11, 2012 3:21 PM
By The Associated Press GRAHAM DUNBAR (AP Sports Writer)

(mochi thinking)

the  korean goalkeeper is wearing exchanged japanese pink uniform, the pronounce of "18" in korean language is "Sipparu" meaning "Fuck!!"




Photo credit: AP | South Korea's players celebrate after winning their men's soccer bronze medal match against Japan, in Cardiff, Wales, at the 2012 London Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 10, 2012. South Korea won 2-0. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Photos

LONDON - (AP) -- A South Korean soccer player who held up a sign with a political message after a victory over Japan did not get a bronze Sunday when the Olympic medals were handed out in a ceremony to the rest of his team.
Midfielder Park Jong-woo is under investigation by the IOC and soccer's governing body, FIFA, for displaying the sign with a slogan supporting South Korean sovereignty over disputed islets that are claimed by both his country and Japan. The largely uninhabited islets are called Dokdo by South Koreans and Takeshima by Japanese.
The IOC and FIFA have statutes that prohibit political statements by athletes and players. Olympic officials had asked the South Korean Olympic Committee to take action against Park and that he not be present at the ceremony.
When the men's soccer medals were presented at Wembley Stadium following Mexico's 2-1 win over Brazil in the gold-medal match, only 17 of the 18 South Korean players were on the field for the ceremony. Park was not among them.
The IOC had begun an investigation into Park's actions, and FIFA said it has opened a separate investigation to discipline the athlete.
South Korea defeated Japan 2-0 in Cardiff, Wales, on Friday, hours after President Lee Myung-bak raised diplomatic tensions by traveling to the islets. The presidential visit prompted Japan to recall its ambassador from Seoul.
Photos of the player holding a sign on the field during the celebration by South Korea were passed along to FIFA to determine if any further disciplinary action will be taken, the soccer governing body said.
South Korea stations a small contingent of police officers on the islets in a show of control, but Japan maintains that the rocks are its territory. Tokyo renewed the claim last month in an annual defense report.
During his visit Friday, Lee reportedly told police officers there that the islets are "worth sacrificing lives for," according to the presidential office.
Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba said it was "incomprehensible why (Lee) would make this trip at this time,"
On Aug. 15, South Korea will commemorate the peninsula's independence in 1945 from 35 years of Japanese colonial rule.
(This version CORRECTS that athlete held up a sign, not a flag.)
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.




http://espn.go.com/olympics/summer/2012/soccer/story/_/id/8261557/ioc-withholds-men-soccer-bronze-south-korean-park-jong-woo-political-sign

IOC withholds bronze, awaits FIFA
Updated: August 12, 2012, 9:15 AM ET
Associated Press
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LONDON -- The International Olympic Committee will temporarily withhold a bronze medal from a South Korean soccer player who displayed a political sign after a game against Japan.

The action by the IOC remains in place until the player's disciplinary case is completed by FIFA.

The IOC previously told Park Jong-woo's team to bar him from the medal ceremony at Wembley Stadium on Saturday. South Korea beat Japan for the bronze medal.

IOC president Jacques Rogge says FIFA must first decide on possible sanctions. Rogge says "we will take a possible decision of what will happen with the medal later."

After South Korea won on Friday, Park displayed a sign with a slogan supporting sovereignty over disputed islets that Japan also claims.

The IOC and FIFA prohibit on-field political statements.





http://espn.go.com/olympics/summer/2012/soccer/story/_/id/8258956/2012-london-olympics-south-korean-park-jong-woo-not-awarded-men-soccer-bronze

South Korean absent from ceremony
Updated: August 12, 2012, 9:16 AM ET
Associated Press
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LONDON -- A South Korean soccer player who held up a sign with a political message after a victory over Japan did not get a bronze Sunday when the Olympic medals were handed out in a ceremony to the rest of his team.

Midfielder Park Jong-woo is under investigation by the IOC and soccer's governing body, FIFA, for displaying the sign with a slogan supporting South Korean sovereignty over disputed islets that are claimed by both his country and Japan. The largely uninhabited islets are called Dokdo by South Koreans and Takeshima by Japanese.

The International Olympic Committee and FIFA are reviewing evidence a player displayed a flag with a slogan that supported sovereignty of disputed islands between South Korea and Japan.
The IOC and FIFA have statutes that prohibit political statements by athletes and players. Olympic officials had asked the South Korean Olympic Committee to take action against Park and that he not be present at the ceremony.

When the men's soccer medals were presented at Wembley Stadium following Mexico's 2-1 win over Brazil in the gold-medal match, only 17 of the 18 South Korean players were on the field for the ceremony. Park was not among them.

The IOC had begun an investigation into Park's actions, and FIFA said it has opened a separate investigation to discipline the athlete.

South Korea defeated Japan 2-0 in Cardiff, Wales, on Friday, hours after President Lee Myung-bak raised diplomatic tensions by traveling to the islets. The presidential visit prompted Japan to recall its ambassador from Seoul.

Photos of the player holding a sign on the field during the celebration by South Korea were passed along to FIFA to determine if any further disciplinary action will be taken, the soccer governing body said.

South Korea stations a small contingent of police officers on the islets in a show of control, but Japan maintains that the rocks are its territory. Tokyo renewed the claim last month in an annual defense report.

During his visit Friday, Lee reportedly told police officers there that the islets are "worth sacrificing lives for," according to the presidential office.

Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba said it was "incomprehensible why (Lee) would make this trip at this time,"

On Aug. 15, South Korea will commemorate the peninsula's independence in 1945 from 35 years of Japanese colonial rule.

http://www.nbcolympics.com/news-blogs/soccer/ioc-wants-south-korean-soccer-player-banned-from-medal-ceremony.html




South Korean player adheres to IOC, skips medal ceremony
Player held up country's flag with political slogan following victory over Japan
By: Graham Dunbar, Associated PressUPDATED: Aug 12, 9:22a ET

South Korea midfielder Park Jong-woo did not participate in the medal ceremony after holding up a political sign.
LONDON (AP) — A South Korean football player who held up a sign with a political message after a victory over Japan did not get a bronze Sunday when the Olympic medals were handed out in a ceremony to the rest of his team.
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Midfielder Park Jong-woo is under investigation by the IOC and football's governing body, FIFA, for displaying the sign Friday with a slogan supporting South Korean sovereignty over disputed islets that are claimed by both his country and Japan. The largely uninhabited islets are called Dokdo by South Koreans and Takeshima by Japanese.
The IOC and FIFA have statutes that prohibit political statements by athletes and players. Olympic officials had asked the South Korean Olympic Committee to take action against Park and that he not be present at the ceremony.
When the men's football medals were presented at Wembley Stadium following Mexico's 2-1 win over Brazil in the gold-medal match, only 17 of the 18 South Korean players were on the field for the ceremony. Park was not among them.
The IOC had begun an investigation into Park's actions, and FIFA said it has opened a separate investigation to discipline the athlete.
The Korean Olympic Committee said Park's act was a mistake that occurred in the heat of the moment as players celebrated their victory over Japan in Cardiff.
"We understand this wasn't an intentional act on the player's part," the committee said in a statement cited by Yonhap News Agency. "We are trying the best we can to resolve this issue."
Yonhap also quoted an unnamed official at the Korea Football Association as saying that Park picked up the sign thrown from the stands and officials immediately moved to stop him holding it aloft.
Calls to the Korean Olympic Committee in Seoul and a Korean official in London were not returned.
South Korea beat Japan 2-0 Friday, hours after President Lee Myung-bak raised diplomatic tensions by traveling to the islets. The presidential visit prompted Japan to recall its ambassador from Seoul.
Photos of the player holding a sign on the field during the celebration by South Korea were passed along to FIFA to determine if any further disciplinary action will be taken, the governing body said.
South Korea stations a small contingent of police officers on the islets in a show of control, but Japan maintains that the rocks are its territory. Tokyo renewed the claim last month in an annual defense report.
During his visit Friday, Lee reportedly told police officers there that the islets are "worth sacrificing lives for," according to the presidential office.
Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba said it was "incomprehensible why (Lee) would make this trip at this time,"
On Aug. 15, South Korea will commemorate the peninsula's independence in 1945 from 35 years of Japanese colonial rule.