Hong Jun-pyo Declares "I Will Not Watch National Soccer Matches for a While" Over Lee Kang-in's Selection

Hong Jun-pyo, the mayor of Daegu, declared that he would "not watch the national team games for the time being" following the news of Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) being selected for the national team.

Hong Joon-pyo, Mayor of Daegu.
Photo by Yoon Dong-joo, Asia Economy

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On the 11th, Mayor Hong responded on his online political community 'Youth's Dream' 청문홍답 (Hong Jun-pyo answers youth concerns) when a netizen posted, "I am disappointed in Hwang Sun-hong. Selecting Lee Kang-in, who should not have been chosen, seems to show a disregard for public opinion." Hong replied, "I will not watch the national team games for the time being." Later, another netizen wrote, "Lee Kang-in, who is 23 years old, is a player who will be selected for the national team until the 2034 World Cup, 10 years from now. Not just for the time being, I will never watch soccer again." Mayor Hong retorted, "Mocking like that is rude." He added, "Look at Son Heung-min, who comes from the same soccer silver spoon background. I dislike silver spoons with the wrong mindset," and "I am someone who knows how to filter the news in the world. I am not a fool swayed by fake news."

When it was revealed that there was internal conflict among the national team players during the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup, Mayor Hong criticized Lee Kang-in, saying, "If a national player is a XXX (a slang term meaning 'rude') person or someone who acts pretentiously and makes reckless moves, they should be removed." On his Facebook, he posted repeatedly, targeting Lee Kang-in with sharp remarks such as, "Just because you became a bit famous, you act arrogantly, start a family company, wear a bucket hat at the soccer stadium, hold fashion shows, and have your mind elsewhere. How can you win playing like that?" This was a sarcastic reference to Lee Kang-in leaving his previous agency to start a family company (K10 Limited) and his fondness for luxury fashion. On the 10th, a day before the national team roster announcement, when asked on the 'Youth's Dream' site whether Lee Kang-in should be selected for the soccer match against Thailand on the 21st, he firmly answered, "Not possible. His character is unsuitable for team sports."

The moment when Lee Kang-in (right) went to apologize to Son Heung-min (left) after a conflict arose among the national team players during the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup meeting.
[Image source=Son Heung-min Instagram]

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However, Hwang Sun-hong, the interim coach of the national soccer team, included Lee Kang-in in the national team roster announced for the two matches in March, the second round of Asian qualifiers for the 2026 CONCACAF World Cup against Thailand. Coach Hwang explained, "This incident is not just the fault of the two players but the responsibility of all involved," and added, "After long conversations with the two players, I selected them, and now is the time to unite and move forward."

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