NBC's Joshua Cooper Ramo "has been relieved" from the net's Pyeongchang Games coverage after "enraging many Koreans with ignorant remarks about their country" during the Opening Ceremony broadcast, according to Jung Min-ho of the KOREA TIMES. An NBC Sports spokesperson said that Ramo has been "removed from the role." The spokesperson said, "It was possible for him to do more with us here; now it is no longer possible." Ramo during the Opening Ceremony said, "Every Korean will tell you that Japan is a cultural and technological and economic example that has been so important to their own transformation" (KOREATIMES.co.kr, 2/11). MSN.com's Chris Chase wrote that Ramo's comment was "insinuating that South Korea had forgotten about the 35 brutal years of Japanese rule that ended after World War II." NBC "issued an apology a few hours later" in a statement "read live on NBCSN early Saturday" (MSN.com, 2/10). In N.Y., David Li noted Japan's occupation of Korea "remains a sore point" between the two countries, and Japan "only formally lukewarm-apologized two years ago for the sexual enslavement of thousands of Korean women during World War II" (NYPOST.com, 2/11). Also in N.Y., Amy Qin noted critics also "seized on other remarks made during the broadcast" by Ramo, who "shared in both Peabody and Emmy awards for his work for NBC" during the '08 Beijing Games. Ramo's remarks "appeared to reinforce growing concerns among some South Koreans" that the U.S. was "favoring its partnership with Japan over that of its other longtime ally in the region, South Korea" (NYTIMES.com, 2/11).
