Possible Violation of National Team’s Duty to Maintain Dignity
Controversy Over Far-Right Social Media Posts by Archers
A current national archery team member has sparked controversy by repeatedly posting far-right content on social networking services (SNS), including claims that the results of the most recent presidential election were manipulated.
On August 16, Yonhap News reported that Jang Chaehwan (33), a member of the 2025 men’s recurve archery national team, posted several far-right messages on Instagram around the time of the 21st presidential election held on June 3.
He uploaded a photo of his hand stamped twice with a ballot seal against the backdrop of a polling station notice, writing, "Vote in the main election, no manipulation, turn the abnormal into normal, block communist forces, eradicate communism." He also posted an image announcing the confirmation of President Lee Jaemyung’s victory, commenting, "China = advance voting manipulation = Jeolla Province = National Election Commission’s crazy collaboration. Welcome, North Korea~ Our China, xiexie, don’t let US Forces Korea leave." In addition, Jang Chaehwan posted several reels suggesting that the last presidential election was fraudulent and that the results were manipulated. He also followed a number of far-right SNS accounts, reportedly including Jeon Hangil, a YouTuber and former Korean history instructor.
As these actions became controversial, Jang Chaehwan deleted all the problematic posts and switched his account to private.
There has been criticism that Jang Chaehwan’s repeated posting of far-right content while serving as a national team member violates the "duty to maintain dignity" stipulated in the Korea Sports Council’s "Regulations on the Selection and Operation of National Representatives." According to the regulations, national athletes must "refrain from any conduct that damages the dignity of a national representative and strive to become representatives that make the nation proud."
A representative of the Korea Archery Association stated, "We are looking into the matter," and added, "We have cautioned national team athletes regarding their use of SNS."
Jang Chaehwan became a national team member this year through the selection trials held in March. However, he did not place in the top four in the final evaluation round, which is contested among national team members, so he will not participate in major international competitions such as the World Championships in Gwangju or the World Cup.
Meanwhile, a past SNS post by women’s national archery team member Lim Sihyun from May has also drawn renewed attention. At the time, she uploaded a photo of her suitcase with the caption "Igiya." "Igiya" is a term primarily used on the far-right online community Ilganbest to mock the southeastern dialect frequently used by the late former President Roh Moo-hyun in his speeches.
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