Referee Bae Seon-yeong's 'Girls Day' Remark Ji So-yeon Makes First Statement... "Wrong is Wrong, Hoping This Becomes an Opportunity for Respect and Consideration"

Ji So-yeon (35·Suwon FC Women), a midfielder for the women's soccer national team at the center of a controversy involving sexually harassing remarks by a referee, made her first public statement since the incident. While affirming that "wrong is wrong," Ji So-yeon said she hopes that "this becomes an opportunity for respect and consideration to develop between referees and players."

Ji So-yeon made these remarks on September 7th at Korea Football Park in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, while meeting with reporters before the 2026 Aichi·Nagoya Asian Games women's soccer national team callup training.

The controversy emerged during a WK League match between Suwon FC Women and Seoul City Hall held on August 28th at Suwon Sports Complex, when referee Bae Seon-yeong used the term "Girls Day"—a euphemism for menstruation—in a wireless communication among referees when referring to Ji So-yeon, making remarks suggesting she was being "sensitive." Ji So-yeon immediately protested and received a yellow card; due to accumulated cautions, she sat out subsequent matches. On September 3rd, the Korean Football Association referred the matter to the Sports Fairness Committee.

Ji So-yeon hesitantly spoke, saying "As a player, I didn't expect this to become such a big issue. My heart is very heavy." She continued, "This incident is wrong, and it's wrong," adding "Rather than this ending 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 something like this never happens to other players again," and "For that to happen, I really hope that education, communication methods, and systems will be improved." She also recalled the situation at the time, saying "If a younger player had heard that on the pitch, they probably would have said nothing," and "I've played in many countries and leagues, but this is the first time I've heard such remarks, so I was very taken aback."

Regarding the acting head of the Korean Football Association's Referee Committee visiting Suwon FC with referee Bae Seon-yeong, she said "I met them because I was told they were coming to apologize. In fact, they did apologize, but I can't say I accepted it as an apology," expressing regret: "Rather than an apology, it felt more like an explanation, which made my heart even heavier." The Professional Footballers' Association of Korea stated in a press release issued on the day that there was an explanation during the meeting that "the remarks were directed at all players on the ground, not a specific player," criticizing that "this 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 this too much to heart," and "Now I want to focus only on the Asian Games and move forward."