The controversy surrounding inappropriate comments made by some reporters during a training session of the South Korean national football team has intensified, with speculation circulating online about a specific sports journalist being one of the individuals involved. However, neither the Korea Football Association (KFA) nor the media outlet has officially confirmed the reporter's involvement.
On June 18, various online communities and social media platforms saw posts spreading the name and profile of the identified sports journalist, referred to as Reporter A. The posts included a clip from an interview conducted shortly after an international match, where Reporter A posed aggressive questions to Son Heung-min regarding his performance with the national team. At that time, A asked, "You score well for your club, but why have you gone silent for three consecutive national team matches?" This question reportedly left Son Heung-min taken aback.
In another interview, Reporter A also questioned head coach Hong Myung-bo about Son's performance and his potential selection for upcoming matches. Coach Hong expressed unwavering trust in Son, stating, "Son Heung-min is the core of our team."
In response, netizens have claimed that the voice in the controversial comments made during the training session resembles that of Reporter A, sharing posts from A's social media accounts.
Additionally, A's posts included remarks about the national team's match results and player performances. In one post, A wrote, "If Son Heung-min or Lee Kang-in had scored just one of those chances yesterday, wouldn’t we have won? How can we win when we miss those opportunities? But why only criticize the coach?" A further expressed mixed feelings about the team's performance, stating, "Today, oddly enough, I felt relieved when we scored first, frustrated when we conceded, and pumped when Son scored. But ultimately, all that remains is Son Heung-min's trembling eyes during that outing."
The internal conflict between the national team and the press corps has also garnered attention. On June 17, Metro Newspaper reported that complaints had been raised within the national team regarding two specific journalists, with players demanding action from the press corps. According to the report, one of the journalists involved expressed a willingness to apologize to the players and stated they would refrain from covering future national team events. In contrast, the media outlet of the other journalist maintained that the request for access restrictions was excessive and upheld its existing coverage policies.
The majority of netizens reacted to the posts by stating, "The mockery of specific players is excessive," and "It seems they have lost objectivity." However, some voices urged caution, arguing, "We cannot definitively conclude intentions based solely on social media posts," and "The allegations currently raised have not been confirmed as facts."
Meanwhile, the KFA and the relevant media outlets are reportedly conducting official investigations and follow-up actions. However, there are calls for a careful approach regarding the posts circulating online about the specific journalist.
Netizens have emphasized, "Respect for players should come first," and "While questions and criticism are valid, mockery is unacceptable," highlighting the need for both the national team and the media to restore trust amid this controversy.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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