Did Choi Woo-jin really mock soldiers? The criticism of the 'limping ceremony' has gone too far

However, defining Choi Woo-jin's actions immediately as mockery of soldiers injured by landmines is a different matter. The confirmed circumstances actually point to the opposite.
What Choi Woo-jin showcased is the so-called ‘medal in shoe’ ceremony that has recently spread among runners both domestically and abroad. It involves limping as if injured, only to take off a shoe and reveal a finisher's medal or a placement medal inside. Similar videos have appeared repeatedly on running-related social media, including marathons, and domestic media outlets have confirmed that Choi Woo-jin's movement was a direct adoption of this trending video. Choi Woo-jin also stated that he filmed the video by referencing the gold medal ceremony that fans had requested and demonstrated on-site.
This is where the important part begins. To date, there is no evidence that Choi Woo-jin performed this ceremony with the DMZ accident in mind. Furthermore, there are no circumstances confirming that he chose to imitate a video already trending overseas for the purpose of mocking the injured soldiers. It has also not been confirmed to what extent Choi Woo-jin knew about the landmine accident before filming the video. In his apology, Choi Woo-jin stated that he "deeply recognizes" the seriousness of the accident and the sacrifice of the soldiers, but this is his current awareness expressed after the controversy arose. It cannot be concluded that he meant he knew the specific details of the accident before filming the video. Conversely, there is also no basis to confirm that he was completely unaware of the accident itself.
There is no basis to drive the narrative that he mocked the soldiers despite knowing about the accident. From a common-sense perspective, one must consider how likely it is that someone, knowing about a landmine accident and intentionally imitating it to boast about their military service benefits, would upload such a video to public social media. Moreover, the ceremony, movements, and composition overlap exactly with those already used by many overseas runners.
Did Choi Woo-jin really mock soldiers? The criticism of the 'limping ceremony' has gone too farm.sports.naver.com