According to the KSOC, Kim accidentally hit the Chinese swimmer's face while she was swimming in the pool. The Chinese athlete then later kicked Kim.

The coaches of South Korea and China then separated the two swimmers to prevent further incident.

According to the KSOC, the Chinese staff apologized to the South Korean athletes and coaches at the scene. They later visited the South Korean delegation at the athletes' village to make a further apology.

"Two swimmers had quarrel after they had physical contact," a KSOC official. "Kim apologized first, but apparently the Chinese athlete couldn't understand what she said and assaulted her."

Kim finished fifth in the women's 100-meter backstroke final at the Asian Games. She failed to reach the finals in either the 50m or 200m backstroke events. (Yonhap)