Players' union calls for referee's dismissal over 'menstruating' remark made to Ji So-yeon

The Korea Professional Football Players Association has condemned a referee's sexually harassing remark directed at Suwon FC Women's Ji So-yeon during a WK League match, calling it "a serious human rights violation and an abuse of a referee's authority" and demanding strong action.

In a statement released Monday, the association said it regards the incident "not as a mere dispute over a call, but as a serious human rights violation and an abuse of power that took place on the pitch," and called for measures to prevent a recurrence.

Ji, who serves as co-chair of the association, filed a strong protest with the referee around the 30th minute of the first half of Friday's 2026 WK League regular-season match between Suwon FC Women and Seoul City Hall at Suwon Sports Complex, halting play for about four minutes.

According to Suwon FC and football sources, Ji said she directly heard the referee say via wireless communication: "She's been touchy from the start — must be on her period."

Association co-chair Lee Geun-ho strongly criticized the incident. "A referee, who should be the closest protector of players on the pitch, instead inflicted irreparable humiliation on a specific player in front of all players from both teams, then wielded cards as a weapon to cover it up," Lee said. "This is a horrific act of misconduct that would not be tolerated in any professional league anywhere in the world."

Secretary General Kim Hun-gi also weighed in. "Even players from the opposing team were stunned and could not hide their shock after clearly hearing the referee's barely believable sexually harassing remark," he said. "Players on the pitch are desperately pleading that a second or third incident like this could happen at any time."

The association called on the Korea Football Association to form an emergency task force to overhaul the referee system and strengthen player protections. It also demanded that the referee responsible for the remark be dismissed and immediately referred to the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee's sports ethics committee.

The referee initially denied making the remark but later reversed course, saying it was "something said among ourselves," according to sources.