South Korea opens case against football referee over alleged remark

The Korea Football Association has opened disciplinary proceedings against referee Bae Seong-yeon following accusations of an allegedly sexually harassing remark directed at footballer Ji So-yun. As reported by the Korea Herald, an amateur referee assessment panel decided to refer the case to the association’s Disciplinary Committee, taking into account the seriousness of the situation.

Footballer’s statement

Ji So-yun, who plays for Suwon FC Women in the women’s WK League, said that during a match against Seoul City Hall, the referee allegedly told another official, apparently referring to the footballer, that she had been sensitive since the beginning of the game and might be menstruating.

The match took place at the Suwon Sports Complex in Gyeonggi Province and was broadcast on the Korea Women’s Football Federation’s YouTube channel. According to Ji, she had previously protested over an incident in which Bae did not call a foul.

The footballer said that after hearing this, she asked the referee what she had said and noted that such words could result in disciplinary punishment. After that, Ji claimed, she was shown a yellow card. When the player reacted emotionally, the referee took out a red card but did not show it to the footballer.

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Referee’s position

Bae Seong-yeon initially denied making such a comment. She later said that her words did not concern any specific footballer and were part of a conversation with another official. The referee also claimed that she did not directly use the word “menstruation.”

Earlier this week, Suwon FC Women asked the Korea Women’s Football Federation and the Korea Football Association to examine the incident in more detail. The association said it would prepare measures to prevent similar cases and seek ways to promote mutual respect between footballers and referees in women’s football.

The 35-year-old Ji So-yun has the highest number of appearances for South Korea’s national team among both men and women, with 175. She also holds the country’s record for goals scored for the national team, with 75.

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