"Sorry, Korea, that person shamed Mexico"... Mexican fans also angry at racism after man makes 'slit-eye' gesture toward Korean

*This content was translated by AI.

Racism controversy marred the World Cup, a global festival. A Mexican man made a 'slit-eye' racist gesture toward a Korean influencer. In response, local Mexican fans also expressed outrage, calling it a "shameful act" and heavily criticizing the man identified as a fellow Mexican.

Mexican media Medio Tiempo reported on the 13th (Korea time) that "Ulises Fernando Bernal Miramontes, president of the Association of Surveyors of Jalisco, mocked Korean soccer fans with a racist gesture," adding that "some fans condemned Ulises Fernando's actions via social media."

The racism controversy arose during the first group stage match of the 2026 FIFA North American World Cup between Korea and Czech Republic on the 12th. At the time, Korean influencer 'Ino-nyang,' who has 6.6 million followers, filmed a selfie video capturing the atmosphere in the stadium stands. Most fans greeted the camera warmly. However, a man wearing a Mexico national team T-shirt sitting behind Ino-nyang was captured looking at the camera while pressing both index fingers to the corners of his eyes.

The 'slit-eye' gesture involves stretching the corners of the eyes horizontally with fingers to caricature Asian features. Given that it has long been used as a racist expression mocking Asians, it draws strong criticism even on international sports stages.

Many soccer fans reacted with anger. The response from Mexico was no different. The media reported that "many social media users took it upon themselves to identify the man who mocked the Korean influencer. The man was identified as Ulises Fernando, president of the Association of Surveyors of Jalisco, Mexico."

It further added that "many condemned Ulises Fernando's actions and apologized to the Korean influencer on behalf of the Mexican people."

Chinese media Global Times also highlighted this controversy. The media reported that "a video of a Mexican man making a 'slit-eye' gesture toward Koreans spread via social media during the North American World Cup, sparking racism controversy against Asians," and added that "some netizens demanded an apology from the man appearing in the video."

It further introduced netizens' reactions, stating that "many said 'sorry' in comments." While the online nature of social media makes it impossible to confirm the exact nationality of all commenters, the content of the posts suggests most are presumed to be "Mexican."

According to reports, one Mexican fan criticized Ulises Fernando, saying, "You are making the image of Mexicans look bad at the 2026 North American World Cup."

There were also strong condemnations. One netizen wrote, "It's disgusting that he is Mexican," while another commented, "What a bad moment and a bad image, truly shameful." Some tagged the social media accounts of organizations presumed to be related to the man, demanding "his removal from office."

On the Korean-related board of the global online community Reddit, posts expressing apologies also appeared. One user who identified as Mexican wrote, "That idiot does not represent all of our people. Korea is a very beloved country here," and added, "I just hope Korea and Mexico play a great game next Thursday."

The media reported that "some reacted by saying, 'In Mexico, such actions are not done with racist intent,' or 'It's not such a serious matter.' However, many more did not agree. Many netizens strongly criticized the act, pointing out that it was clearly insulting and inappropriate."

After the controversy grew, netizens tracked down social media accounts presumed to belong to the man in the video and unleashed heavy criticism. It is reported that these accounts were eventually switched to private after the incident.

Another media platform, Resonate Voice, also reported that "a Mexican man mocked a Korean influencer by pulling his eyes backward. The man is known to be Ulises Fernando, the association president," adding that "this sparked global condemnation and also showed that racism against Asian fans continues to persist at international tournaments."

Meanwhile, Korea and Mexico are set to play their second group stage match of the 2026 FIFA North American World Cup Group A at Estadio Akron in Zapopan, Guadalajara, Mexico, on the 19th.

Korea and 'host nation' Mexico were drawn into Group A along with Czech Republic and South Africa. As of the end of the first match, Mexico is in first place in the group, and Korea is in second. Czech Republic is third, and South Africa is in fourth place, last.

Earlier, Mexico defeated South Africa 2-0 in the World Cup opening match. Korea also started the tournament on a high note with a 2-1 comeback victory against Czech Republic.

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*This content was translated by AI.