Korean soccer’s “people’s younger brother” has faced headwinds.
It’s the story of Lee Kang-in. He was a national shooter who many soccer fans in Korea liked. He appeared on entertainment programs at an early age and made his presence known, and he was loved by his cute appearance and genius skills. Many soccer fans empathized with his growth and rejoiced together as they shared his process.
He was a unique character in the history of Korean soccer and received unique love. He cheered for Valencia Youth and was happy as if it were his job when he had the best performance at the U-20 World Cup. He cheered when he left Mallorca and moved to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), a big club, and when he was entitled to military service benefits by winning the Asian Games, he was as enthusiastic as his family.
The effect of Lee Kang-in, who received such unconditional love, was confirmed in Mallorca, PSG, and the Korean national team. Mallorca expressed her gratitude for the interest and enthusiasm caused by Lee Kang-in, and became a player who sold more uniforms than Mbappe at PSG. The Korean national team does not need to explain. I looked at Son Heung-min as the center of the Korean national team and cheered him on.
However, Lee Kang-in was at the center of the controversy. On the evening before the semifinals against Jordan in the 2023 Asian Cup, he collided with the national team’s captain Son Heung-min. The incident, which was first reported by England’s The Sun, is called the Ping Pong incident. When Son Heung-min restrained young players from playing table tennis, a collision broke out, and Son Heung-min suffered a dislocation of his finger in the process.
The details were really shocking. According to a report by Yonhap News, Son Heung-min grabbed Lee Kang-in by the collar, and Lee Kang-in swung his fist at Son Heung-min. Fortunately, Son Heung-min did not hit Lee Kang-in’s fist.
It is an unbelievable situation. It is not to take sides with anyone, but it is unacceptable for the youngest player to objectively punch the captain of the team. Because of this, Lee Kang-in, who was loved so much, had to be criticized by Korean soccer fans. He also had to listen to sarcastic comments such as “Be a table tennis player.” 업소알바
Lee Kang-in apologized through SNS.
Hello, this is Lee Kang-in. There was an article reported that he had an argument with Son Heung-min ahead of the semifinal match of the Asian Cup. I am very disappointed in the soccer fans who always support our national team. I am very sorry. I should have taken the lead and followed the words of the older members well, but I am just sorry to show bad performances to the soccer fans. I apologize to many people who would have been disappointed in me. I am well aware of the interest and expectation that the soccer fans send me. From now on, I will try to become a better player and a better person by helping the older members.
However, the anger of Korean soccer fans did not go away. Rather, he expressed even greater anger, saying, “It was an apology without sincerity.” Apologies to the national team and apologies to Son Heung-min were omitted. In other words, they excluded those responsible for making a genuine apology from the list of apology. There was also no mention of punching. There was no explanation on why he caused such a fuss.
Without stopping here, some soccer fans raised their voices to exclude Lee Kang-in from the national team. The national younger brother, who was loved indefinitely, has grown into the core of the national team’s controversy and has become a public curse. Lee Kang-in is the only one who can alleviate this anger.