[OSEN=Reporter Kim Suhyeong] The beloved French TV personality Fabien, known for his love for Korea, is facing a wave of malicious comments. This is due to the aftermath of the ‘Paris Olympics’ mistake. With public opinion focused on Fabien, his past love for Korea is being highlighted, adding more poignancy to the situation.
Yesterday, on the 28th, French TV personality Fabien, known for his love for Korea, revealed that he once again faced a wave of malicious comments due to the ‘Paris Olympics’ mistake. He candidly shared his grievances through his personal channel.
In the video, Fabien pointed out, “You probably already know, but something absurd happened yesterday during the opening ceremony. When the South Korean team entered, the Olympic organizing committee introduced Korea as North Korea.”
In reality, controversy arose as the Paris 2024 Olympic organizing committee mistakenly introduced South Korea as North Korea at the opening ceremony, and there was also a dispute over the misspelling of the name of the men’s individual sabre gold medalist, Oh Sang-uk (Daejeon City Hall), by the French side, which further fueled racial discrimination controversies. In relation to this, Fabien expressed his frustration, stating, “I was in the middle of live broadcasting on SBS and didn’t realize it until the broadcast was over. It’s absurd and really made me angry. It’s bewildering to see such a thing happening during a worldwide sporting event like the Olympics.”
This was also mentioned on the broadcast. On the 27th, during the broadcast of the ‘2024 Paris Olympics’ opening ceremony on SBS, casters Jung Seok-moon, analyst Ju Young-min, and special analyst Fabien were on duty, and SBS analyst Ju Young-min, at the end of the opening ceremony, mentioned, “There was a very absurd situation, so I will briefly touch upon it,” and added, “It’s a ridiculous mistake on the part of the organizers. I hope they apologize for it,” delivering a sharp criticism.
Fabien, who was next to him, looked perplexed, and later, through his personal channel, he expressed his anger and disappointment, saying, “As a Frenchman who loves Korea, I am so angry, disappointed, and saddened by this situation,” and revealed, “But when I got home, I was attacked by Instagram, email, and comment terrorism, which made my eyes red.” The mistake by the organizers of the ‘Paris Olympics’ has cast a shadow over Fabien.
Indeed, Fabien’s social media accounts were flooded with malicious comments, prompting some netizens to apologize on their behalf. Some netizens showed fervent reactions, saying, “I feel ashamed. Whenever something happens, the foreign TV personalities representing that country become the target,” “Mr. Fabien, I will apologize on your behalf. I hope you don’t get hurt,” “He is already more passionate about loving Korea than most Koreans, this is too much.”
Meanwhile, with 16 years of living in Korea, Fabien shocked many by passing the difficult Level 1 Korean History exam with an impressive score of 96 points.
At the time, Fabien explained his reason for pursuing the certification, stating, “I have a great interest in Korean history and have a special affection for Korean historical materials. Currently, I am lecturing on Korean history at the National Museum of Korean History.” He further expressed his passion for Korean history by choosing Korean history examinees and obtaining a Korean history certification, saying, “Living in Korea for over 10 years, I wanted to deeply study the history of the country I live in.”