Lead Stories Korean - Sports

Fact Check: K-Pop Group TripleS Member Kim Na Kyoung Is NOT An Olympic Badminton Player And Did NOT Win Gold At The 2024 Paris Games

2024-08-05T13:42:13Z

Is K-Pop group tripleS member Kim Na Kyoung an Olympic badminton player who won the gold medal in the Paris 2024 Olympics? No, that's not true: There is no evidence on the official Olympics website to suggest that tripleS member Kim Na Kyoung competed in the Olympics as a badminton player, as she is not part of the national team.

The claim appeared in a TikTok video (archived here) published on TikTok on July 28, 2024. The video had received over six million views and over 900,000 likes on TikTok at the time of writing. Several other TikTok videos (archived here and here and here) claimed that tripleS member Kim Na Kyoung won the gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics. The caption of the video, in English, read:

This girl who plays badminton in the Olympics representing South Korea is so fine.

#nakyoung #kimnakyoung #olympics #kpop #triples #nakyoungtriples

This is what the post looked like on TikTok at the time of writing:

(Source: TikTok screenshot taken on Fri Aug 2 13:42:13 2024 UTC)

According to the official Olympics website (archived here), the South Korean badminton team consisted of four men and eight women at the Paris 2024 Games. The eight female players were An Se Young, Kim Ga Eun, Lee So Hee, Baek Ha Na, Kim So Young, Gong Hee Yong, Chae Yu Jeong, and Jeong Na Eun. An Se Young did win the gold medal in the women's badminton singles on August 5, 2024, beating He Bingjiao, from China (archived here). The Olympics website (archived here) also stated the South Korean badminton team won a silver medal in mixed doubles (Kim Won Ho and Jeong Na Eun) against the Chinese team (Zheng Si Wei and Huang Ya Qiong).

The Olympic uniform worn by tripleS member Kim Na Kyoung in the viral TikTok video was the official uniform (archived here) the Korean national team wore in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (archived here). The official uniform was to be worn at the opening and closing ceremonies at the Tokyo Olympics by the South Korean national team. Another tripleS member, Yoon Seo Yeon, was seen wearing the same uniform at a fan sign meeting event (archived here) on July 21, 2024.

This is what Yoon was seen wearing on YouTube (archived here):

(Source: YouTube screenshot taken on Fri Aug 2 14:27:44 2024 UTC)

Although tripleS members do not have individual social media accounts, the official tripleS account (archived here) on X (formerly known as Twitter) also did not make any announcements concerning their fellow members, Kim Na Kyoung or Yoon Seo Yeon, competing in the 2024 Paris Olympics as badminton players.

Fact Check: Player Lee Kang-in Has NOT Been Permanently Excluded From The South Korean National Football Team As Of March 1, 2024

2024-03-01T01:52:21Z

Was football player Lee Kang-in permanently excluded from the South Korean national football team following an altercation with the team captain and a surprising loss in the 2023 Asian Cup semi-finals? No, that's not true: At the time of writing, the Korea Football Association (KFA) and the acting head coach of the national team had not issued any such announcement and had refrained from commenting on Lee's future.

The claim appeared in a video (archived here), published by @user4826967320435 on TikTok, on February 23, 2024, with a caption translated into English from Korean by Lead Stories staff that reads:

At the end of the day, Lee Kang-in is permanently excluded from national football team.

This is what the post looked like on TikTok at the time of writing:

(Source: TikTok screenshot taken on Fri Mar 1 01:52:21 2024 UTC)

Following a February 13, 2024 report in the British tabloid The Sun (archived here) about an altercation dubbed 'Ping Pong Ding Dong' involving Lee and team captain Son Heung-min, Lee has faced a public backlash in South Korea for what fans believe was his role in damaging team cohesion ahead of a surprising loss to Jordan in the AFC Asian Cup semi-final, on February 6, 2024. According to press accounts (archived here and here) and an anonymous KFA official, Lee became involved in an altercation when Son told him to return to a team dinner which he and several other players had quickly left to play ping pong.

Despite Lee's public apology to fans and Son Heung-min, (archived here and here), who dislocated his finger in the altercation, angry fans continue to criticize Lee, and some fans (archived here and here) have petitioned the Korea Sports and Olympic Committee (archived here) to permanently exclude Lee from the national team roster. As a consequence, a great deal of attention remains on whether Lee will be included in the team's roster for the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualification rounds, expected to be announced on March 11, 2024 (archived here).

In this context, the claim that Lee has been permanently excluded from the national team has been shared multiple times on TikTok and YouTube, for example here, here, and here (archived here, here, and here).

However, as of March 1, 2024, there had been no official statement or comment from the KFA (archived here) regarding the player. Nor had there been comments about it from national team acting head coach Hwang Sun-hong (archived here). In an interview with South Korea's MBC channel (archived here) posted on February 27, 2024, Hwang spoke in general terms about the team and made no mention of a decision to remove Lee.

Multiple local press accounts (archived here and here) consider the matter unresolved leading to speculation about Lee's future role. A Google News search in Korean and in English, (archived here and here) conducted on March 1, 2024, with the keywords: Lee Kang-in AND national team AND "banned" OR "excluded" did not return any results that could corroborate the claim.

Lead Stories has previously fact-checked another claim on Lee Kang-in allegedly being kicked out of his club, PSG, here.

Fact Check: Football Player Lee Kang-in Was NOT Kicked Out Of PSG After Asian Cup Defeat

2024-02-29T11:23:47Z

Did Paris Saint-Germain decide to kick out South Korean footballer Lee Kang-in after South Korea lost to Jordan in the Asian Cup semi-final on February 6, 2024? No, that's not true: At the time of writing, no official announcement had been made and Lee was still on the club's official website, listed among the players.

The claim appeared in a video (archived here) on TikTok by @shortform.kr (archived here) on February 22, 2024, under the title (translated from Korean into English by Lead Stories staff) "Paris Saint-Germain's emergency announcement! Lee Kang-in is screwed." It opened (as translated):

Breaking news! Lee Kang-in will be fired. Amazing breaking news, Lee is kicked out by his club Paris Saint-Germain.

This is what the post looked like on TikTok at the time of writing:

(Source: TikTok screenshot taken on Thu Feb 29 02:44:47 2024 UTC)

No official press release or communication on Lee being fired has been issued by the Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) that the South Korean footballer plays for as a midfielder. The claim first originated from a YouTube video posted on February 18, 2024. Similar claims have been repeatedly shared on TikTok, here, here, here and here (archived here, here, here and here).

Lee was blamed by upset fans after the AFC Asian Cup. He allegedly got into a fight with another key player, Son Heung-min, right before the semi-final match. After Korea's shocking defeat against Jordan on February 6, 2024, The Sun (archived here) reported on February 13, 2024, that there had been a fight between the two key men, which had been critical to Korea's playing performance. Angry Korean football fans started to blame Lee. In this context, the false claim was shared on TikTok and went viral.

However, no official announcement (archived here) from PSG confirms the claim. Lee is still on PSG's players' list on the website (archived here and here). On February 19, 2024, PSG celebrated Lee's birthday on its official website and Instagram account (archived here and here).

A Google News search (archived here) on February 29, 2024, with the keywords PSG AND Lee Kang-in AND "fired" OR "kicked out," did not return any results that could corroborate the claim.

Moreover, multiple local media outlets (archived here, here and here) have warned about the spread of the false claim on social media.

Fact Check: Liverpool Manager Did NOT Mention Asian Athletes Or Countries In Interviews

2023-08-24T19:26:07Z

Did Liverpool Manager Jurgen Klopp speak about Korean, Chinese and Japanese players, as well as their respective native countries in three separate interviews? No, that's not true: The Korean subtitles added to the videos are mistranslated and do not match the English audio.

The interview clips, from 2018, 2022 and 2023, do not include any mention of the Asian athletes and countries. The questions from reporters, along with Klopp's answers, in Korean subtitles have been fabricated.

VIDEO #1

The first video appeared on TikTok (archived here) published by @user_nowstop on July 17, 2023 with the caption "'김민짜이'는 중국 선수 중국기자의 망언에 분노하는 클롭 감독," or "Manager Klopp getting angry at Chinese reporter's absurd remarks that 'Kim Min-zai' (Chinese pronunciation) is a Chinese player," as translated by Lead Stories staff.

This is what the post looked like on TikTok at the time of writing:

(Source: TikTok screenshot taken on Mon Aug 21 22:26:07 2023 UTC)

Kim Min-jae is a South Korean, not Chinese, professional football player who signed with FC Bayern Munich in July.

The Korean subtitles claim a Chinese reporter asked Klopp his thoughts on Kim, with the implication that Klopp was angered by the reporter failing to recognize that Kim is a Korean player.

The subtitles quote Klopp as responding, "I know what answer you want from me, but as I keep telling you, stop lying," as translated by Lead Stories staff.

Klopp is also quoted as saying:

My anger is a natural reaction... If this, that, everything is Chinese, then am I Chinese too? I can't understand it at all. Please stop making up stories... you look upset because I hit you with facts, don't make me the bad guy.

However, the same clip (without Korean subtitles) can be seen in a February 2018 video on YouTube following a match between Liverpool and Tottenham. The exchange can be seen starting around the 9:30 timestamp, after the English-speaking reporter begins to ask whether the opposing team tried to cause a problem.

Klopp interrupts, saying at the 9:45 timestamp:

Look, I really don't - I really don't like this. I know exactly what you wanna do. I said what I said, do with it what you want. Nothing to clarify...it's a normal reaction I said... ball is in the air, players go down, that's how it is. But you don't give a penalty in a situation like that. Make a story about that.

Notably, the TikTok video included a disclaimer in English at the bottom: "Beware! Fake News!" There are no disclaimers in the following two videos.

VIDEO #2

The second video appeared on TikTok (archived here) published by user @smile_yeosin on Aug. 9, 2023 with the caption "손흥민 결국 사우디 가죠 일본기자 질문에 리버풀 클롭 감독 반응 ㄷㄷ" or "Manager Klopp's reaction when Japanese reporter asks about Son Heung-min going to Saudi Arabia," as translated by Lead Stories staff.

This is what the post looked like on TikTok at the time of writing:

(Source: TikTok screenshot taken on Mon Aug 21 22:26:07 2023 UTC)

Son Heung-min, a South Korean, is a Tottenham Hotspur forward who was reported as saying he will stay with Tottenham despite an offer from the Saudi Pro League club Al Ittihad.

The Korean subtitles cite the reporter as noting that Son said he would sign with the Saudi league for money, while "our Japanese player Mitoma thinks of honor before money." Kaoru Mitoma is a Japanese football player with Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion.

The subtitles quote the reporter as asking:

I think it's certain that Mitoma has surpassed Sonny (Son Heung-min). What do you think, Mr. Klopp?

Klopp's response according to the Korean subtitles, as translated by Lead Stories staff:

Is that the kind of question you're asking? What answer do you want? Why the hell does your country always ask me those types of questions... Do you think I would know a player like Mitoma from your country? I don't... Why does your country (Japan) always slander players from other countries? (Mitoma) did not even receive an offer from Saudi, so what does it matter whether Sonny goes to Saudi or not? And it's just a stupid question, even on second thought. I won't even bother with a country like Japan again.

However, the exchange is also visible in a September 2022 video on YouTube, after an Italian, not Japanese, journalist posed a question on safety in Naples:

Liverpool's social media accounts put out several messages telling the fans to be wary of the city, and I wondered whether that's been your experience, whether you'd like to try and calm the fans down or whether you consider it to be a welcoming city.

Klopp responded at the 0:20 timestamp:

That's an embarrassing question from you. You wanna create headlines, I really don't understand it... do you think it's a dangerous city? I don't know...now you ask me what I think about Napoli, you know exactly what people are talking about. If some supporters meet some supporters, something can happen. Nothing to do with the city, so I don't know. But I'm not here to create headlines for you.

VIDEO #3

The third video appeared on TikTok (archived here) published by user @doyouhaveanyquestions32 on Aug. 11, 2023 with the caption: "초전도체는 중국이 만들었다는 질문에 빡친 크롭 감독" or "Manager Klopp angered when asked about China creating superconductors," as translated by Lead Stories staff.

This is what the post looked like on TikTok at the time of writing:

(Source: TikTok screenshot taken on Mon Aug 21 22:26:07 2023 UTC)

The Korean subtitles claim a Chinese reporter asked:

China is far ahead of Korea, whether it be football or science. So it begs the question, would you consider signing our Chinese players?

The subtitles note Klopp was dumbfounded by the question before quoting him as responding:

Superconductors are the result of more than 6,000 experiments in Korea. Your country (China) wouldn't be able to conduct the experiments 5,999 times, yet you're saying all this?

He continues:

And what do you mean when you say that China is ahead of Sonny's Korea? Please. The whole world knows that superconductors were discovered in Korea, why does Korea keep fabricating facts?

Klopp's real response can be heard in a January 2023 clip on YouTube. He mentions the numbers "6,000" and "5,999," but not in the context of the Korean subtitles. The reporter asked about solving problems in the transfer market.

Klopp, frustrated by the question about Liverpool's transfer activity, responds at the 1:07 timestamp, referring to the reporter as "Carl":

Honestly Carl, I have I think, 6,000 press conferences at Liverpool. And you were pretty much part of 5,999. In different seats obviously, but you were always there... come on. Now I have to tell you again the money story? Really, do I have to tell it again?

A Jurgen Klopp representative did not respond to a request for comment.