[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jin-young] At the 2nd leg of the Asia Rugby Sevens Series held in Incheon, the song "Glory to Hong Kong," which symbolizes the Hong Kong anti-government protesters instead of the Chinese national anthem, was played, prompting a strong protest from the Hong Kong government.
On the 14th, the Hong Kong government issued a statement saying, "The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government deplores and strongly opposes the playing of a song closely linked to the violent protests and independence movement of 2019 as the Chinese national anthem during the Hong Kong-Korea men's final at the 2nd leg of the Asia Rugby Sevens Series held in Incheon, South Korea, the day before."
It added, "The national anthem is a symbol of our country. The tournament organizing committee has the obligation to ensure that our national anthem is respected," and "We have already demanded a report be submitted to the Hong Kong Rugby Union and will deliver a strong protest to the Asia Rugby Union, which hosted the tournament."
It also stated, "The Hong Kong team coach confirmed to the organizers that the pre-recorded Chinese national anthem was submitted accurately in advance."
The lyrics of Glory to Hong Kong include calls for democracy and freedom, as well as the Hong Kong protesters' representative slogan "Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times." This slogan is currently considered a violation of the National Security Law.
The organizing committee acknowledged that the national anthem was played incorrectly and immediately played the Chinese national anthem. The Korea Rugby Union explained, "This occurred due to a simple mistake caused by the person in charge during the national anthem performance process, and we clearly state that there was no intention behind it."
It added, "Immediately after recognizing the mistake, we officially apologized to Asia Rugby (AR), China, and Hong Kong, publicly apologized at the tournament site, and replayed the anthem. The Korea Rugby Union also plans to take thorough measures to prevent recurrence so that similar incidents do not happen again in future tournaments."
Despite the explanation, controversy is growing in Hong Kong, where rugby is considered a popular sport. Ronnie Tong, a member of the Hong Kong Executive Council, urged the government via social media to thoroughly investigate whether someone from Hong Kong helped facilitate the playing of "Glory to Hong Kong" in Incheon. He claimed, "This is a criminal act, and those involved could face charges of incitement and national division under the National Security Law."
Juniorus Ho, a member of the Hong Kong Legislative Council, called for the disbandment of the Hong Kong rugby team. He emphasized, "The players did not respond while 'Glory to Hong Kong' was played. They allowed the national anthem to be insulted. The only way to resolve this is to disband the team."
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