Ki Sung-yueng breaks silence on 'monkey celebration' controversy from 2011 Korea-Japan match

Footballer Ki Sung-yueng has spoken out for the first time in about 15 years about his so-called "monkey celebration" during the 2011 Asian Cup match between South Korea and Japan.

Ki appeared June 22 on "Tikitiki Takataka Talktalkshow," a TikTok original program, where he opened up about what happened and how he felt at the time.

Also appearing on the show were Hong Jin-ho, Kwon Il-yong and Pyo Chang-won. The conversation centered on penalty kicks and penalty shootouts — widely considered the most psychologically intense moments in football.

Reflecting on the pressure of penalty shootouts, which he described as akin to "Russian roulette from 11 meters," Ki recalled the 2011 Asian Cup semifinal against Japan.

He said that ahead of the shootout, he could not find his sunbae players, including Park Ji-sung and Lee Young-pyo. Ahn Jung-hwan, who was listening, said the situation "could have felt overwhelming."

Ki also addressed the celebration that sparked controversy during that Korea-Japan match, saying he had been angered by the sight of the Rising Sun flag in the stands.

He added that while he faced significant criticism, his social media following grew by about 80,000 the day after the match.

The monkey celebration came during the 2011 Asian Cup semifinal between South Korea and Japan, held in Doha, Qatar, on Jan. 25, 2011. Ki performed the gesture after scoring the opening goal from the penalty spot in the 23rd minute.

The match ended 2-2, and South Korea was eliminated after losing to Japan on penalties, failing to advance to the final.

‘프리선언’ 전현무 따라했다가 “망했다”…생활고 고백한 前KBS 아나운서

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