By OkayGoal
South Korea’s Korea Women’s Football Federation has opened an investigation after a referee was accused of making a sexist remark about Ji So-yun’s menstrual cycle during a WK League match, with the country’s all-time leading scorer saying the episode has left her heart “very heavy.”
The incident happened on August 28 during a match between Ji’s Suwon FC Women and Seoul City Hall. Ji alleges she heard referee Bae Sun-young say, over the officials’ communication system, that she had “been touchy since the start” and “must be on her period,” after Ji appealed for a penalty. Ji confronted the official on the pitch and was booked for her reaction.
What the referee and football authorities have said
The Korea Football Association’s refereeing department has said the word “period” was not used over the radio and that the comment was not directed at any specific player. The Korea Women’s Football Federation, however, said the actual term used was “girl’s day,” a Korean euphemism for menstruation.
Suwon FC have formally asked both the KWFF and the KFA to “establish the facts and take appropriate action.” The KFA has since opened disciplinary proceedings against Bae, and the KWFF has said that once the facts are established, “necessary action should follow and practical measures should be introduced to prevent a recurrence.”
Ji So-yun’s own account
Speaking to reporters as she reported for South Korea’s Asian Games training camp, Ji said she hadn’t expected the situation to escalate the way it did. “It felt more like they were offering an explanation rather than an apology, which made my heart even heavier,” she said.
She also reflected on why she felt able to speak up in the moment, noting her standing in the game gave her a platform a younger player might not have had. “A younger player probably would not have been able to say anything in response,” she said, adding that she was “flabbergasted” by the comment despite her experience playing professionally in Japan, England and the United States.
A defining career now turning toward the Asian Games
Ji, 35, is South Korea’s all-time leading scorer regardless of gender, with 176 caps and 75 goals, and is widely regarded as the greatest player in the country’s history. A former Chelsea midfielder, she is now preparing for her sixth Asian Games, in Japan, which she has suggested could be her last with the national team.
Despite the emotional toll of the past fortnight, Ji said her focus has now shifted fully to preparing for the tournament, determined not to let the controversy affect her performance on the pitch. The outcome of the KFA’s disciplinary proceedings against Bae has not yet been announced.
