"Seol Young-woo, a quiet player, was very angry at the malicious comments." His club in Serbia also watched... Local media spotlight 'strict response'

*This content was translated by AI.

South Korea national team defender Seol Young-woo (28, Crvena Zvezda) has warned of a strict response to ongoing abusive language and malicious comments involving personal attacks, and local media in Serbia, where his club is based, have also taken notice. Seol's club, Zvezda, is a prestigious club representing the Serbian league.

Serbian media Meridian Sport reported on the 26th (Korea time) that "the South Korean national team lost 0-1 to South Africa, and this sparked great anger in South Korea, the home country of Zvezda's first-team player Seol Young-woo."

It further reported, "Seol Young-woo, known as a quiet player for Zvezda, also appears to be particularly angry about this incident. After the match, he warned that he would take a strict response to malicious comments."

The media also introduced that Seol Young-woo's side issued a statement saying they would take legal action against the malicious comments after the South Africa match ended.

Earlier, Seol Young-woo's agency, Sport Project, stated through its official channel, "Opinions and evaluations on performance are part of sports, and constructive criticism and diverse opinions are important elements of a healthy sports culture," but also added, "However, it has been confirmed that some recent comments and messages clearly go beyond the scope of healthy expression of opinion, including abusive language, personal attacks, defamation, and the spread of false facts."

Seol Young-woo's side further emphasized, "Such behavior cannot be justified under any circumstances. It can cause serious harm not only to the player himself but also to his family and those around him. We are continuously monitoring related posts and comments. We also plan to take a strict response without leniency against illegal acts such as malicious slander, personal attacks, and the spread of false facts."

Seol Young-woo has been playing as a starting defender for the South Korean national team in this tournament. However, during the group stage, he suffered from excessive criticism and malicious comments that went beyond the limit. In particular, after the defeat in the second match against Mexico, some fans' negative reactions intensified, and malicious comments even wishing for injuries that could be fatal to his playing career have emerged. It is reported that not only the player himself but also his acquaintances and family have become targets.

The South Korean national team, led by coach Hong Myung-bo, also lost 0-1 to South Africa in the final third match of Group A held on the 25th. With this result, South Korea finished the group stage with one win and two losses (3 points), placing third in Group A. South Korea could have advanced to the Round of 32 as the second-place team in the group if it had at least secured a draw in the South Africa match, but it missed that opportunity. South Korea now has to wait for the results of other groups.

Starting from this tournament, the number of participating countries in the World Cup has expanded from 32 to 48. Accordingly, the top two teams from each of the 12th groups, along with the eight best-performing teams among the 12 third-place teams, will join the Round of 32. South Korea still has a chance to advance to the Round of 32.

However, the shock defeat against South Africa cannot erase the aftermath. First, if the team does not rank among the top eight third-place teams, it must pack its bags and leave the group stage. The poor performance in the South Africa match also drew anger from football fans. As a result, some national team players, including Seol Young-woo, are facing fierce criticism from football fans.

Meridian Sport also conveyed the reaction of Korean fans. The media stated, "It seems that South Korean fans have not sided with Seol Young-woo," and introduced that some fans showed a cynical reaction to Seol Young-woo's warning of a strict response.

In particular, the media reported that some fans mocked him, saying things like, "If you had been as fast on the field as you promised to sue after the South Africa match ended, South Korea would not have lost."

Seol Young-woo, who came from Ulsan HD in the professional K League, put on the Zvezda jersey of the prestigious Serbian club in the summer of 2024. In this World Cup, he started all three group stage matches. In the South Africa match, he recorded 57 ball touches, 3 defensive plays, 2 clearances, 2 header clearances, and 2 tackles.

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*This content was translated by AI.