CBC Repeatedly Misidentifies Korean Athletes as Chinese at Winter Olympics

Canadian public broadcaster CBC has sparked controversy by repeatedly misidentifying Korean athletes as Chinese during its coverage of the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.

Professor Seo Kyoung-duk of Sungshin Women's University said on social media on the 15th that Korean athletes competing in short track and speed skating events were incorrectly identified as Chinese, adding that he immediately sent a protest email to CBC.

"One mistake can be overlooked," he wrote in the email, "but continuously introducing Korean athletes as Chinese in both women's short track and men's speed skating is a serious error."

Seo added that the mistakes are "not only disrespectful to the Korean delegation but also an insult to Canadian viewers," demanding that CBC "correct this immediately and issue a public apology."

Video footage identified by the professor shows commentators mistakenly introducing Korean athletes as Chinese when they appeared on screen.

Seo noted that a few months ago, TSN, one of Canada's prominent sports channels, also caused controversy when its official social media account posted a taekwondo video describing it as Japanese "ninja."