Taiwan: “Take my Medal? I’ll Hack your Website!”

Update: The referee isn’t Korean. He is a Filipino but of Korean ethnicity. Thanks to all for validating the fact. We apologize for the misreport!

The ongoing Asian Games in Guangzhou, China, is filled with stories. But so far, no story is as controversial as Yang Shu-Chun’s.

On November 17, Taiwanese contestant, Yang, competed in the Taekwondo semi-final and was significantly ahead in the game. Victory seemed certain.

9 to nothing (9-0) was the score when the Filipino referee suddenly brought the game to a halt. He accused Yang of having misplaced sensors in her foot guards, which are used to keep track of the scores. The team of judges then ruled her out of the game, which left Yang and her Taiwanese supporters in a daze, shocked with the announcement. Her disqualification gave her Vietnamese opponent an effortless victory.

This incident has caused great uproar in Taiwan as many voice their displeasure about the unjust decision. In any official Taekwondo game, all checks are made (including foot guards) before the green light is given to commence a game. The same procedure was applied for Yang’s game and she clearly complied with the rules. Even if she didn’t, any infringement should be notified before the game starts.

A conspiracy? History has shown that the same Filipino referee has a rich record of disqualifying Taiwanese Taekwondo contestants. Many Taiwanese also suspect that China and Korea (because of the referee’s ethnicity) have colluded to kick Yang out of the gold medal race. If Yang were to win this semi-final match, she will face China in the final. Disqualifying Yang means China would face a weaker opponent. Thus, increasing China’s chance to win another gold medal.

That isn’t all. The Asian Taekwondo Union angered the Taiwanese further by publishing an article on its official website, criticizing the Taiwan team for its “shocking act of deception”.

This time, Taiwan reacted. On November 19, Taiwanese hackers infiltrated the Asian Taekwondo Union website and splashed the following message on the homepage (see below, NSFW). The message was taken down quickly but the website remains inaccessible.

Would this lead to a series of cyber war?

[Image courtesy of techbang]