Hwang Kyo-ik "Guests Bringing Food to a Feast Don't Look Good... Not Faithful to the Olympic Spirit"

[Photo by Hwang Gyo-ik, Facebook capture]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seoyoung Kwon] Food columnist Hwang Kyo-ik commented on the controversy surrounding the use of ingredients at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, saying, "The three countries?Korea, Japan, and the United States?all failed to uphold the Olympic spirit."

On the 23rd, Hwang expressed this opinion in a post on his Facebook page. He stated, "During the 2016 Rio Olympics, the Korean team brought and cooked their own ingredients, and at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, the Japanese team did the same," adding, "At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the Korean and American teams brought their own ingredients to prepare their meals."

He said, "The Olympics are a festival for the people of the world. During the Olympics, even wars cease, and it is an international event that exists solely to serve world peace." He also explained, "The feelings between Korea and Japan are extremely strained. There was some hope that things might improve during the Olympics, but the situation worsened due to Japan's poor attitude."

Nevertheless, Hwang pointed out, "If the Olympics are a festival for world peace, it is normal for the host country, which comes around every four years, to provide the food." He added, "While participating countries can be involved in their athletes' meals for their condition, bringing all their own food is disrespectful." This remark is interpreted as expressing regret over Korea and the United States setting up their own catering centers locally in response to safety concerns regarding the use of Fukushima-sourced ingredients.

Hwang expressed concern, saying, "The feelings between Korea and Japan are one thing, but I worry that the Olympic spirit is being damaged by this emotional conflict," and questioned, "If they are going to fight more than usual, why hold the Olympics at all?" He continued, "Guests invited to a feast generally enjoy the food provided by the host as a universal human sentiment. Sharing food is sharing human warmth," and added, "Am I a dreamer for lamenting something like this?"

He concluded, "The three countries?Korea, Japan, and the United States?all failed to uphold the Olympic spirit," and said, "The issue of radioactive contamination of Japanese ingredients could have been resolved by consulting with Japan to avoid using ingredients from risky areas."

Earlier, on the 22nd, Hwang had said in a Facebook post, "Calling the Olympics a feast, it doesn't look good for guests to bring their own food separately." At that time, he expressed regret, saying, "At a feast, the host and guests should face each other with pleasant expressions, but this Olympics has no festive atmosphere at all."