"Football juniors' attacks on Hong Myung-bo cross the line": BK Kim Byung-hyun makes principled remarks, ready to be cursed

*This content was translated by AI.

Kim Byung-hyun (47), a former Major League Baseball pitcher known as "BK," argued that the "attacks" by his football juniors on Hong Myung-bo (57), the South Korean national football team head coach, have crossed the line.

Kim made these remarks in this spirit through a video titled "[Unedited Version] I will speak my mind on the 2026 World Cup" on his YouTube channel on the 28th.

"I am not a football person; I am simply someone who supports South Korean football. I have never met Coach Hong Myung-bo personally," Kim began, then stated, "After the South Africa World Cup (on the 25th), I saw a regrettable scene as a sportsman. Even though we still had the possibility of reaching the Round of 32, the remarks made by football juniors seemed to cross the line, and they sounded quite grating to my ears."

He said, "I thought that if it were ordinary fans, they could say 'Hong Myung-bo, get out.' But for a distant junior in the football world, and someone who played on the national team together, to use such a word seemed to me to violate the basic principles that I have learned and thought about as a person in sports."

Kim, who said, "I thought someone should still speak out like this, so I am making these remarks ready to be cursed," added, "The head coach, coaches, and players of the national team all share responsibility for the poor results. Still, the head coach should take the primary responsibility." However, he also argued, "But it is something that should only be held accountable after everything is over. The fact that such an atmosphere was created even before the Round of 32 possibility ended is what angers me as someone who has been in sports all my life."

Explaining the reason for posting this video, he said, "I hope our society is not too extreme. It is true that individuals must take responsibility for their actions, but I do not want this extreme atmosphere to be passed on to our children as if it were nothing and natural." He also explained, "And as athletes, we lived with a sense of pride in the discipline between our seniors and juniors, our own etiquette and manners, and the things we have upheld. I hope these continue to be maintained."

Kim concluded the video by saying, "Ordinary people can speak that way, but those who should follow basic rules, and those who, in a way, act as speakers and resonate with many people, should not make such remarks."

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*This content was translated by AI.