Broadcast Screen Captures Yeo Seo-jeong Avoiding Handshake
Yeo Seo-jeong Says, "I Think My Timing for Greeting Was Late"
North Korean women's artistic gymnastics representative An Chang-ok was seen ignoring South Korean representative Yeo Seo-jeong, who tried to congratulate her, on the broadcast screen.
On the 3rd (local time) at the Bercy Arena in Paris, France, the women's vault final of the 2024 Paris Olympics artistic gymnastics took place. An Chang-ok performed second among the eight athletes, and Yeo Seo-jeong performed seventh.
After finishing her routine, An Chang-ok returned to her seat and greeted Bulgaria's Valentina Georgieva. Seeing this, Yeo Seo-jeong also stood up and reached out her hand to offer congratulations. However, An Chang-ok passed by Yeo Seo-jeong and embraced the North Korean coach instead.
After sitting back down, Yeo Seo-jeong smiled awkwardly with the coach sitting next to her.
In a post-competition interview, Yeo Seo-jeong laughed about An Chang-ok ignoring her greeting, saying, "Since we are competing together, I tried to shake hands, but I think I missed the timing of my greeting." She added, "An Chang-ok is a quiet and skilled athlete."
North Korea's An Chang-ok passing by Yeo Seo-jeong, who is trying to greet her while leaving after finishing her performance [Image source=KBS broadcast screen capture]
Yeo Seo-jeong scored an average of 13.416 points in her two vault attempts, ranking 7th among the eight competitors in the vault final that day.
After the competition, Yeo Seo-jeong revealed in the mixed zone, "My right shoulder was dislocated while practicing two hours before the competition," and added, "Since I did well in the qualifiers, I thought it would be more disappointing to withdraw, so I wanted to finish the competition."
Yeo Seo-jeong became the first South Korean female gymnast to win an Olympic medal by earning a bronze in the vault event at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Meanwhile, North Korean athletes participating in this Olympics are known to minimize contact with the South Korean media by avoiding questions when encountering them in the mixed zone or training areas rather than official press conference venues. On the other hand, they are often seen freely interacting with foreign athletes or spectators by exchanging souvenirs or taking photos.
However, on the 30th of last month, during the table tennis mixed doubles medal ceremony, North Korean athletes Ri Jong-sik and Kim Kum-yong responded to a photo request from South Korean bronze medalist Lim Jong-hoon and took a 'selfie' together.
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