South Korean authorities investigating the alleged assault of Chinese student in Busan

A Chinese student was reportedly attacked by two Korean men in Busan, South Korea, on Wednesday night.

An unverified video clip posted by China’s state-run Beijing Youth Daily on WeChat shows a man being kicked by another man in a parking lot, reported Reuters. The footage has since gone viral and been shared on other platforms.

Local authorities found in their preliminary investigation that the incident was not related to the tension over allegations of judging bias in favor of China over South Korea at the Olympics.

Sports fans in Korea have expressed anger and disappointment online over the disqualification of South Korean skaters Hwang Dae-heon and Lee June-seo at the Beijing Winter Games, as NextShark previously reported.

Many social media users have accused the referees of penalizing the South Korean athletes in favor of Chinese skaters, who went on to reach the final and eventually won gold and silver medals.

Yonhap News via Reuters reports that an officer privy to the assault investigation said the unnamed student’s nationality had nothing to do with the case.

The Chinese consulate in Busan has coordinated with local officers to provide assistance to the victim.

“We will spare no efforts to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests and personal safety of Chinese citizens overseas,” China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian told reporters.

The building anti-China sentiment in South Korea prompted the Chinese ambassador to the country, Xing Haiming, to release a statement on Tuesday in which he expressed his concerns about the accusations.

Seoul’s foreign ministry responded by asking the Chinese embassy to exert prudence when releasing such statements.

Ambassador Xing later congratulated Hwang for winning an Olympic gold medal for South Korea just days after.

Featured Image 观察者网独家视频 (left) and Official Weibo account of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (right)

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