Doosan heir 'likes' hateful comment targeting soccer star Lee Kang-in's girlfriend

Lee Kang-in (25, Atletico Madrid) has been flooded with malicious online comments amid rumors of internal conflict within South Korea's national soccer team — and his girlfriend, a fifth-generation heir to the Doosan Group, has drawn attention after "liking" some of the abusive posts targeting him.

According to Lee's SNS on Tuesday, a wave of personal attacks unrelated to his on-field performance appeared, including comments such as "Kang-in, please fix your character," "You should be kicked out too," and "Treat your sunbae with respect." Others leaned on baseless rumors that Lee had ostracized Son Heung-min, with posts reading, "How dare you bully Son Heung-min and form factions?" and "Stop stirring up trouble with the '96 line and go represent the national team together."

Among the comments was one that read: "What I find most baffling is your chaebol girlfriend. Why on earth is she dating someone like you?" Park Sang-hyo — granddaughter of former Doosan Group Chairman Park Yong-sung and daughter of Doosan Bobcat Korea Vice Chairman Park Jin-won — "liked" that comment.

Lee himself also "liked" a comment that called him "a young punk who acts like trash."

Lee and Park are said to have met through Lee's older sister and spent two years as acquaintances before becoming a couple. Park is two years older than Lee. Their relationship first came to light in June 2024, when the two were spotted together watching a Doosan Bears game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul, and they have since been seen attending various gatherings together.

Meanwhile, Lee's agency The Black Label issued an official statement Tuesday saying it had confirmed that "false information related to player Lee Kang-in is spreading indiscriminately online." The agency added that it is "collecting data on posts and comments that constitute the spread of false information and defamation" and warned it would "pursue necessary legal procedures depending on the case."