Lee Sang-hwa, a commentator for KBS at the Beijing Olympics. By Kim Hyo-kyung
Regarding the commentary of former speed skater Lee Sang-hwa, KBS commentator, “I felt the sincerity of cheering for the athlete” and “Is it a commentary in the corner of the room?”
Until the 14th, petitions such as ‘I do not want to see Commissioner Lee Sang-hwa during the Beijing Olympics broadcast’, ‘I do not have the qualifications to comment on Lee Sang-hwa’, and ‘Please stop because I am not qualified to comment on Lee Sang-hwa’ were posted on the KBS Viewer’s Rights Center’s viewer petition bulletin board.
According to the petition, “It is absurd to see even juniors broadcasting in semi-verbal language on public broadcaster KBS.
Previously, Lee Sang-hwa, KBS commentator, commented on Cha Min-kyu, who competed in the men’s 500m final in speed skating at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics on the 12th.
During Cha Min-gyu’s match, Lee Sang-hwa exclaimed, “First, first, oh! I look good! I like it calmly, calmly, calmly!” and “I have to upload it!
After the match, before the final record was announced, they shouted “What, what, what?” and when Cha Min-gyu’s silver medal was confirmed, they clapped and said, “Hey, you did a good job.
Then, as Cha Min-kyu held the Taegeukgi and turned the link, he shouted, “Hey, hey, here! Hey, look.” Caster Lee Kwang-yong in the seat next to me warned me, “You shouldn’t do that on TV,” but he didn’t stop. Even when Cha Min-gyu was on the podium, he said, “Wow, how can this be. Hey, hey, here! Mingyu-chan”. At the end of the broadcast, Lee Sang-hwa apologized, saying, “I was too excited.”
The commentary of this idealization was heavily criticized by viewers. “Lee Sang-hwa’s commentary is so bad. It’s not even a corner commentary” “It seems like I’m broadcasting alone” “Lee Sang-hwa is not a commentary, it’s just cheering” “It’s something I say when I watch TV at home. The commentary is so disappointing.”
On the other hand, there were also favorable reviews that Lee Sang-hwa’s commentary was human. Netizens supported Lee Sang-hwa with reactions such as “I can feel the joy that comes from my heart”, “I also made a sound similar to Lee Sang-hwa. Congratulations to Cha Min-gyu.”
By Hyun Ye-seul, staff reporter hyeon.yeseul@joongang.co.kr