Not Menstruation, but 'Girls Day'... Even Cloaked in Euphemism, It's Sexual Harassment

"I did not use the word 'menstruation.'" This was the explanation from the Korea Football Association's Referee Operations Team regarding the controversial remarks directed at Ji So-yeon (Suwon FC Women). It was accurate. The term used by the referee was not 'menstruation' but 'girl's day,' a euphemism for menstruation.

According to a Sports Seoul report on the 30th, a Suwon FC official stated, "We confirmed that the referee used the expression 'girl's day,' a euphemism for menstruation. The Association also acknowledged this part." The implication was that although the player, in the confusion of the moment, did not accurately relay the exact wording, the referee did make a remark that linked a player protesting a decision to menstruation.

Then comes the question: If it was 'girl's day' rather than 'menstruation,' is there no problem?

Imagine the reverse scenario. If a player, standing before the referee and protesting a decision, had said to the referee, "You seem sensitive from the start. Must be your girl's day," what would have happened? The player would have been sent off on the spot, referred to the Association's disciplinary committee, and received a suspension from several matches. It is unlikely that the explanation "it was a euphemism" would have sufficed. If the same remark made from a referee's mouth is simply classified as 'unnecessary conduct,' merely because it came from the referee, that itself is a double standard.

The essence of the remark is not the word itself. A player protesting a decision is an everyday scene on the pitch. The problem lies in interpreting that protest as 'sensitivity' and then interpreting sensitivity as menstruation. Whether direct or euphemistic, the moment a female player's legitimate protest is equated with a biological function, it becomes sexual harassment. The fact that a euphemism was deliberately chosen can even be read as evidence that the speaker knew the nature of the remark.

The Association's response is no different. The explanation "I did not use the word 'menstruation'" may be factually true, but it is not a legitimate justification. As the Association disputes terminology, the true nature of the remark has become all the more clear, and the Association, while acknowledging the use of euphemism, is only maintaining a defensive position that "the remark was not directed at Ji So-yeon as an individual."

The controversial remark was made during a WK League match between Suwon FC Women and Seoul City Hall held at Suwon Sports Complex on the 28th. Ji So-yeon heard the referee mention menstruation on the referee communications channel, saying she "seemed sensitive from the start," and protested. Instead, she received a yellow card. The match was halted for approximately four minutes. The player who raised the issue cannot participate in the next match due to accumulated warnings.

Suwon FC plans to file a formal protest with the Association on the 31st. The International Professional Footballers' Association (FIFPro) is also reportedly investigating the circumstances through the Korea Professional Footballers' Association. Now it is the Association's turn to answer. Not what word was used, but how it will discipline that perspective.