Ulsan Hyundai Team Faces Racism Controversy on SNS... Ultimately Apologizes

Published 12 Jun.2023 13:53(KST)

Lee Myung-jae likened to dark-skinned Southeast Asian
Controversy over mocking Thai national team player Sasalak

The captain group of Ulsan Hyundai in the professional football K League 1 issued an apology after controversy arose over exchanging racially discriminatory remarks on social networking services (SNS), with Park Yong-woo writing the apology statement.

Player Park Yong-woo [Photo by Ulsan Hyundai Football Club Instagram]

On the 12th, Park Yong-woo stated on his Instagram account, "I apologize to player Sasalak, who may have been hurt by my careless words comparing a teammate's playing style and appearance, as well as to all fans and those around us."

He continued, "I reflect on this incident caused by inappropriate behavior of calling players by nicknames based on their characteristics, and I will be more cautious with my words and actions to prevent recurrence. Once again, I sincerely apologize."

Earlier Controversy Over Racially Discriminatory Remarks on SNS

[Photo by Myungjae Lee on Instagram]

Earlier, on the 10th, after Ulsan Hyundai defeated Jeju United 5-1 in the 18th round of K League 1, the players left praise comments on the Instagram account of vice-captain Lee Myung-jae, who performed well that day.

However, some players continued with racially discriminatory remarks in the comments, which became problematic.

Vice-captain Lee Kyu-sung left a comment on Lee Myung-jae’s photo saying, "The Southeast Asia quota is reliable," to which Lee Myung-jae replied, "Ah, that’s not right."

This is presumed to be a comparison of Lee Myung-jae’s dark skin tone to that of Southeast Asian players.

Captain Jung Seung-hyun commented, "This is ridiculous," and Lee Myung-jae responded, "It’s because of you, Asian quota."

Also, Park Yong-woo commented, "Sasalak’s form is crazy," and the Ulsan team manager commented, "Sasalak’s super tackle."

Sasalak Hiphakon is a former Thailand national team player who played for Jeonbuk Hyundai for four months.

Park Yong-woo and the team manager effectively made fun of Sasalak’s appearance and skin color.

In response, football fans criticized, saying, "Our players have also experienced racial discrimination overseas, so how can they say such things?" and "What did Sasalak do wrong to be mocked?"

Some netizens argued that the Korean Professional Football League should suspend the players involved according to its disciplinary regulations.

According to the disciplinary standards set by the Korean Professional Football League, players who engage in religious discrimination, political remarks, or racially discriminatory behavior can be suspended for more than 10 matches and fined over 10 million won.