Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon apologized today over his previously said remarks suggesting that it would be OK to form a unified women’s hockey team with North Korea because the South Korean team is unlikely to win a medal anyway.
Lee made the controversial remark on Tuesday, saying that the South Korean team is “out of the medal range,” in an effort to dispel concern that the formation of a unified team with the North could be disadvantageous to South Korean athletes because they would have fewer chances to play.
The remark sparked public anger and criticism that the prime minister had insulted the hockey team members who have been working hard for years to play better in the Olympics.
