"Target of Korean Criticism and Malicious Comments": Seol Young-woo Controversy Draws Attention in Japan; "Agent Only Escalated Backlash"

*This content was translated by AI.

Japanese media reported that Seol Young-woo (28, Crvena Zvezda), who became the center of criticism for his underwhelming performance throughout the entire 2026 FIFA World Cup in North, Central America and the Caribbean, "became a target of severe criticism and malicious comments."

On the 10th, Japanese football specialty outlet Football Channel explained, "Seol Young-woo was expected to be a key player who would lead the South Korean national team to a higher level, but his performance at the World Cup fell short of expectations. Expectations turned into disappointment and further into anger. He became the symbol of the confusion within the South Korean national team during this tournament."

In fact, Seol Young-woo was highlighted as a key wingback for the national team led by coach Hong Myung-bo. He was also the only player among all wingbacks to start every match. While capable of playing on both sides, he primarily lined up on the right in the national team. In the Group Stage matches against Czechia and South Africa (1st and 3rd games), he played as a right wingback, while in the second match against Mexico, he started as a left wingback.

Football Channel pointed out, "Seol Young-woo's position changed continuously throughout the World Cup, and his assigned role was also unclear. From a player's perspective, there were unfortunate aspects to this situation." The outlet added, "While his strength lies in bold and decisive play, it is true that during this tournament he gave the impression of playing as if brakes had been applied."

The outlet further stated, "After losing to South Africa, South Korea spent several days monitoring results from other third-place teams to assess their chances of advancing to the Round of 32. During this process, Korean fans' anger was directed at coach Hong Myung-bo and the national team players. Among them, Seol Young-woo, who had shown poor performance throughout all three Group Stage matches, became especially a target of criticism against referees and malicious comments."

At the same time, it was also noted that the actions of Seol's agency only intensified fans' backlash. In fact, Seol's agency stated, "Opinions and evaluations regarding match performance are part of sports, and constructive criticism and diverse opinions are important elements of a healthy sports culture." However, they added, "Recently, some comments and messages have been confirmed to clearly exceed the scope of healthy expression, including insults, personal attacks, defamation, and dissemination of false information. We will respond firmly without leniency toward illegal acts such as malicious slander, personal attacks, and spreading false information."

Football Channel added, "One hour after the South Africa match ended, Seol's agency announced on social media that it would take legal action against malicious comments. The timing of this lawsuit warning, released while South Korea was waiting to see if they could advance to the Round of 32 through third-place qualification, only fueled further controversy and criticism, escalating fans' backlash."

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*This content was translated by AI.