This photo captured from Cha Min-kyu’s Instagram account shows Bing Dwen Dwen (R) and Soohorang.
SEOUL, Feb. 24 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean speed skater Cha Min-kyu posted a photo of himself with Bing Dwen Dwen, the official mascot for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, on social media in response to fake news that he threw away the panda doll.
He posted a picture of two dolls Bing Dwen Dwen and Soohorang, the official mascot for the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics, on his Instagram account earlier Tuesday. “Pretty,” the post said.
Cha nabbed the silver medal in the men’s 500m speed skating races both in Pyeongchang and Beijing, winning the two dolls.
A fake rumor has spread across Chinese social media platform Weibo that he threw away the panda doll, with some local media outlets reporting it without confirmation.
“A South Korean athlete threw away Bing Dwen Dwen. The International Skating Union (ISU) issued an official warning to the athletes and is considering heavy penalties,” one media outlet claimed.
These reports turned out to be fake news.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
