Referee Bae Sun-young's "Girls Day" Remark Ji So-yeon's First Statement... "Wrong is Wrong; Hope This Becomes a Turning Point for Respect and Consideration"

Ji So-yeon, 35, a midfielder for South Korea's women's soccer national team and player for Suwon FC Women, who was involved in the controversy over a referee's sexually harassing remarks, made her first public statement on the matter. Ji emphasized that "wrong is wrong," while expressing hope that "this becomes a turning point where respect and consideration develop between referees and players."

Ji So-yeon made these remarks on September 7 at Korea Football Park in Cheonan, Chungcheongnam Province, before the women's soccer national team training session for the 2026 Aichi·Nagoya Asian Games, speaking with reporters.

The controversy arose on August 28 during a WK League match between Suwon FC Women and Seoul City Hall at Suwon Sports Complex, when referee Bae Sun-young used the term "Girls Day," slang referring to menstruation, in a radio communication among match officials regarding Ji So-yeon, making remarks suggesting she was being "oversensitive." Ji immediately lodged a protest and received a yellow card; due to accumulated cards, she missed subsequent matches. The Korea Football Association referred the matter to the Sports Fair Play Committee on September 3.

Ji So-yeon said with difficulty, "As a player, I didn't expect this to become such a big issue. My heart is very heavy." She continued, "What happened was wrong—it is wrong. This shouldn't end with one person's mistake. I hope this incident becomes an opportunity for respect and consideration to develop between referees and players."

She emphasized, "I hope this never happens to other players," and "I really wish that education, communication methods, and systems are improved for that to happen." She also recalled the moment, saying, "If a young player had heard that on the pitch, they probably would have said nothing. I have played in many countries and leagues, and this is the first time I've heard such remarks, so I was extremely flustered."

Regarding the Korea Football Association's Referee Committee acting chair's visit to Suwon FC with referee Bae Sun-young, Ji said, "I met them because I was told they were coming to apologize. In fact, they did apologize, but I can't say I received an apology." She expressed her disappointment, stating, "Rather than an apology, it felt like an explanation, which made my heart even heavier." The Korea Professional Football Players Association issued a statement on that day, noting that there was an explanation suggesting "the remarks were directed at all players on the field, not a specific player," and criticized this, saying it "raised further concerns about the Referee Committee's awareness."

Ji So-yeon is preparing for her sixth Asian Games appearance. She said, "As a veteran on the team, I'm trying not to take it too heavily to heart," and resolved, "Now I want to look only ahead to the Asian Games and move forward."