South Korean Minister of Culture and Sports Hwang Hee: China and South Korea should establish cooperation and friendship in sports competition

Huang Xi, chief of the Rok Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (hereinafter referred to as the "Ministry of Culture and Sports"), said in an exclusive interview with a Xinhua reporter a few days ago that at the Winter Olympics, it is certainly crucial to compete for gold and silver, but it is even more important for China and South Korea to establish cooperation and friendship in the course of competition.

On the evening of the 4th, Huang Xi was invited to attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games. Recalling the opening ceremony of the evening, Huang Xi commented that the whole performance was not too complicated and majestic, very concise, and of great significance, which was a high-level opening ceremony. "It's like a table of dishes, although the amount is not much, but the Tao Dao is a fine product."

At the Beijing Winter Olympics, Huang Xi led a South Korean government delegation to visit China, in addition to the opening ceremony, Huang Xi also went to the short track speed skating and other sports to cheer for the athletes. "I've been deeply touched by every Olympic Games, and I hope to continue this feeling at the Beijing Winter Olympics." Huang Xi said.

In the interview, Huang Xi shared his "ice and snow love": "I have been good at skating since I was a child, and I am very interested in short track speed skating, speed skating, snowboarding, and curling. When talking about Chinese athletes, Huang Xi can even immediately say the names of ice and snow athletes such as "Yang Yang, Wu Dajing, and Gao Tingyu".

At the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, South Korea won 5 gold, 8 silver and 4 bronze medals with a total of 17 medals. Speaking of the South Korean delegation, Huang Xi said that China, as the host, has provided a good environment for the athletes to participate in the competition and brought a lot of care to the team. The Korean athletes quickly adapted to the arena and remained in very good shape. Although the South Korean team may have a hard time recreating the glory of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, he will still cheer for the players.

Huang Xi particularly emphasized: "Although it is important to compete for gold and silver, I hope that athletes can fully enjoy sports and enjoy the Olympic Games at the Beijing Winter Olympics. He said that compared with the previous medal-centered concept, South Korea is also actively adjusting its sports policy and striving to organically unify sports clubs, mass sports, and elite sports.

In ice and snow sports such as short track speed skating, the "Dispute between China and South Korea" has always attracted much attention. Speaking of this competition, Huang Xi is not shy about it, saying that the competition between the Chinese team and the South Korean team has always existed, and it cannot be avoided at the Current Winter Olympics. In the Winter Olympics, the competition for the first place is key, but it is even more important for the two sides to establish cooperation and friendship in the competition. "I hope that The Korean athletes can cheer up, and I also expect the Chinese athletes to work hard." Huang Xi said.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and South Korea, and is also the "Year of Cultural Exchanges between China and South Korea". The hosting of the Winter Olympics in 2018 and 2022 by South Korea and China has also brought special opportunities for cultural and sports exchanges between the two countries.

As South Korea's minister of culture and sports, Hwang Hee said that China and South Korea should make full use of cultural soft power to enhance their influence around the world. If the two countries work together and promote exchanges, they will be able to achieve mutually reinforcing results, which will also be a great contribution to human peace.

"I hope that the Beijing Winter Olympics will be used as an opportunity to closely cooperate and enhance friendship between China and south Korea, and jointly convey peace and happiness to the world." Huang Xi said.

For China's epidemic prevention management at the Beijing Winter Olympics, Huang Xi gave a "good review". He said that whether it is entry, security inspection, waiting in line, China's epidemic prevention work has been done very comprehensively and meticulously. In a global event like the Winter Olympics, it is necessary to take stricter epidemic prevention measures.

Huang Xi also introduced the epidemic prevention situation of the South Korean delegation, he said: "Although China has provided us with a good epidemic prevention guarantee, each team also needs to do a good job in epidemic prevention work, so we have sent full-time medical personnel responsible for epidemic prevention with the team." ”

When sharing his feelings about the epidemic prevention of the Winter Olympics to reporters, Huang Xi said that he was very impressed by the kindness of the Chinese epidemic prevention personnel. "The epidemic prevention management of the Beijing Winter Olympics makes people feel comfortable, safe, convenient and kind, and this is the first time I have received such an experience, which makes people feel particularly at ease." Huang Xi said.

From Pyeongchang to Beijing, China and South Korea share experiences in hosting the Winter Olympics and harnessing olympic heritage. Two years later, South Korea will host the 2024 Winter Youth Olympics in Gangwon Province.

Huang Xi said that after hosting such a beautiful winter Olympic event, he hoped that the two countries could work together to leave a richer Olympic legacy and exert greater and more positive influence together.

(WC Source: Xinhua News Agency)

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