"In Your Country, You Eat Dogs"… Park Ji-sung Appeals to Stop the 'Dog Meat Song'

[Asia Economy Reporter Seoyoung Kwon] Park Ji-sung, a football player who played for Manchester United (Man Utd) in England's professional football league, has requested that fans stop singing his so-called 'Gaegogi Song' (Dog Meat Song), which is his cheer song.

On the 4th (Korean time), Park Ji-sung appeared on the club-produced 'UTD Podcast' and revealed the behind-the-scenes story related to his cheer song. Park Ji-sung has served as an official ambassador for Man Utd after retiring from playing.

On this day, Park Ji-sung asked fans not to sing his cheer song, known as the 'Gaegogi Song.' The 'Gaegogi Song' was sung by Man Utd fans to support Park Ji-sung and mock their rivals Liverpool, with lyrics such as "Park Ji-sung, wherever you are, your country eats dogs," and "Still better than Liverpool, who catch and eat rats in council housing."

The 'Gaegogi Song' was also sung by Man Utd fans who traveled for away support when Hwang Hee-chan's signing with Wolverhampton was announced last August. However, the lyrics of this song have been criticized for potentially being interpreted as racial discrimination against Koreans or Asians, or as derogatory towards Liverpool residents.

Park Ji-sung explained, "When I transferred from the Dutch club PSV Eindhoven to Man Utd and was adapting to a new environment, I first heard the cheer song and felt proud that fans had made a song for me." He added, "At that time, I was also uncomfortable with the lyrics about eating dog meat, but I was young and unfamiliar with British culture, so I thought it was just one of many new things I had to accept."

He continued, "Time has passed and the world has changed." He said, "Last summer, through the transfer market, a Korean player joined Wolverhampton on the day Man Utd had a match. And Man Utd fans sang my cheer song." He added, "At that moment, I thought I had to do something," and "Perhaps a player could feel uncomfortable with those words, just as I did 15 years ago."

Park Ji-sung raised his voice, saying, "There have been many changes in Korea as well," and "I felt I should let Man Utd fans know not to use such content anymore. It could be a racial insult to Koreans." He also said, "There are many things in Korean culture that I am proud of," and "I ask that the song containing such content be stopped. It is no longer a song to cheer someone on."

On this day, Park Ji-sung said, "It has been seven years since I retired, but even now when I hear fans' cheer songs, I still feel like I am on the pitch. I am still proud that fans made it," but also said, "I feel sorry for my younger self who just endured the discomfort at the time." He added, "I feel a sense of responsibility for young people who still live with such discomfort as Asians or Koreans," and emphasized, "The current generation is completely different and does not know much about the culture when I was playing. Now is the time to stop using those words."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.