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Olympics finally get Korean flag right after titled Taeguk symbol seen in earlier medal ceremonies

Published: 21 Feb. 2026, 17:59 Updated: 21 Feb. 2026, 18:37

The correct version of Korea's national flag are raised during the medal ceremony for the women’s 1,500 meters short track speed skating medal ceremony at the 2026 Winter Olympics at Milano Ice Skating Arena in Italy on Feb. 20. [JOONGANGILBO]

At last, a properly designed Korean flag rose above the ice during the medal ceremonies for the men’s 5,000-meter short track speed skating and women’s 1,500-meter short track speed skating at the 2026 Winter Olympics at Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan on Friday.

The correction followed a formal complaint by the Korean delegation to the International Olympic Committee and the local organizing committee, after an incorrectly produced version of the national flag had been used during earlier medal ceremonies.

In the men’s 5,000-meter relay final, the Korean team of Rim Jong-un, Hwang Dae-heon, Lee Jeong-min and Lee June-seo, who finished in 6 minutes 52.239 seconds to claim silver behind the Netherlands, which clocked 6 minutes 51.847 seconds, stood facing the correctly designed Taegukgi.

The proper version of Korea's national flag was also raised during the women’s 1,500-meter medal ceremony, where Kim Gil-li won gold and Choi Min-jeong took silver.

Beyond the medal results, attention had been focused on whether the accurate version of the Taegukgi would be used following earlier mistakes.

An incorrectly designed Korean flag had previously been raised at four short track speed skating ceremonies, including the women’s 3,000-meter relay and the men’s and women’s 1,000-meter events. The organizing committee had used a version in which the central Taegeuk symbol was noticeably rotated several degrees counterclockwise.

According to the Korean delegation, the flag did not match the official specifications submitted in advance to organizers. The delegation requested a formal apology, immediate correction and preventive measures during a meeting with IOC and organizing committee officials at the athletes’ village the previous day.

For every Olympics, the government provides the organizing committee with official flag design files and the national anthem audio, an official from the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee said.

“This was not an error on our side,” the official said.

The IOC issued an apology and said it would immediately reprint the flag according to the correct specifications and complete the necessary corrective measures.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY JANG GU-SEUL [[email protected]]