*This content was translated by AI.
Ji So-yeon (35, Suwon FC Women), a symbol of Korean women's soccer, made painful remarks to improve the harsh reality of women's soccer in Korea. Ji So-yeon expressed her strong will to even take criticism against her to improve the environment for her juniors and revive the league.
After the 2026 WK League Media Day held at Athens Hall on the 4th floor of the Olympic Parktel in Seoul on the 1st, Ji So-yeon confessed honestly why she had recently raised her voice on various issues within the national team.
In particular, Ji So-yeon, who spoke out in the process of the association's decision to provide business seats to all athletes at major international competitions such as the Asian Cup from this year, said, "I was cursed a lot, but someone should have done it," adding, "I've been a member of the national team for 20 years. I'm done when I retire in a year or two, but I didn't want to pass on the same environment to my juniors," he said.
Regarding the fact that some negative views existed over the demand for business seats, Ji So-yeon said, "I didn't want to change everything unconditionally, but I wanted to change little by little to the extent possible economically," adding, "Unlike me, who was used to riding business seats for a long time while living abroad, I wanted to find an agreement in hopes that my colleagues who had to ride economy seats in Korea could run in a better environment."
He also made a cold diagnosis about the poor performance of the WK League. Veteran Ji So-yeon, who has spent a long time abroad, including Chelsea FC Women (England), Aynak Kobe (Japan), and Seattle Lane (USA), said, "Playing games without spectators also weakens the players' energy. "It takes the efforts of the players to end this COVID-19, but everyone, including the club secretariat, must put their heads together to think about how to make the fans move," he stressed.
Ji So-yeon then said, "The value of the global women's soccer market is soaring. However, I felt that the WK League remained in place," he said, pointing to the gap by citing Katarina Macario (San Diego Wave), who signed a five-year, eight-million-dollar contract.
He cited the emergence of superstars as a solution to revitalizing the league. Ji So-yeon pointed to her junior Jeon Yoo-kyung (MoldeFK), saying, "Just like Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in in men's soccer, stars should come out in women's soccer." Ji So-yeon said, "Yoo-kyung Jeon is good at it but also has a really handsome face. "Even a woman looks like an advertising model," he said, adding, "If two to three thousand fans start coming to see one such star, other players will naturally be interested."
Despite such poor conditions and concerns, Ji So-yeon and Suwon FC Women proved their skills by performing well on the Asian stage. Suwon FC Women advanced to the semifinals with a 4-0 victory in the quarterfinals of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women's Champions League (AWCL) against defending champion Wuhan Zhang Da (China) on the 29th. Ji So-yeon said, "I've never beaten a Chinese team by a big score of 4-0 while playing soccer until now," and reflected, "There were five national team players on the other team, but it was effective that our players gathered for the goal of hosting Suwon and achieving an inter-Korean match."
With this victory, Suwon FC Women will play the South-North semifinals against the Naohyang Women's Football Team (North Korea) at Suwon Stadium at 7 p.m. on May 20. Ji So-yeon said, "It's my first time playing AWCL, and it's very encouraging for Korean players to have an opportunity to experience such international competitions."
In addition, Ji So-yeon said, "In fact, there was a good proposal abroad. But I wanted to finish my career in Korea," he said. "I want to be helpful to Korean women's soccer until the end. "I want to play well this year and go to the World Cup next year if I'm fit," he added.
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*This content was translated by AI.
