It was a comment allegedly made by a referee during a WK League match that became one of the biggest controversies in South Korean women’s football. What began as an on-field dispute involving South Korea’s all-time top goalscorer, Ji So-yun, has since developed into a wider debate, prompting a response from the Korea Football Association and raising questions about the treatment of female players, the structural set-up of women’s football in Korea and accountability within its governing bodies. It was around the 31st minute of the Suwon FC Women v Seoul City Hall game on 28 August when the incident happened.
Suwon’s former Chelsea midfielder Ji appealed for a foul after what she felt were repeated rough tackles by the opposition. The female referee, Bae Sun-young, is then alleged to have made, over the officials’ radio system, a remark interpreted as referring to menstruation after describing Ji as “sensitive from the start”. Ji says she overheard the comment and footage from the game shows Ji visibly upset as she talks to the referee.
Ji was shown a yellow card after confronting the official. In frustration Ji threw a water bottle as she approached the Suwon bench. Bae walked towards Ji, appearing to reach for a red card before deciding against issuing one, showing a yellow instead.
After the match Bae denied making the remark, saying later that it had been a private conversation between match officials. The KFA’s refereeing department has said that the word “period” was not used and that the comments were not directed at Ji, but there have been reports that the term “girl’s day” was used instead. After the match Suwon asked the Korea Women’s Football Federation and the KFA to look further into the matter.
The KFA has now begun disciplinary proceedings and said: “Considering the seriousness of the matter, we decided to refer the case to the fair play committee in accordance with referee regulations.” The KFA’s fair play committee will listen to explanations from those involved and will review the incident. It will then determine disciplinary action based on the outcome. The KFA further announced that it will use this incident as an opportunity to prevent similar events and strengthen education to create a culture of respect for players, referees, and participants in the WK League.
The Korea Pro-Footballers Association said it does not see this as a mere dispute on the pitch, but a serious human rights violation and abuse of refereeing power. The organisation called for Bae’s expulsion and a complete overhaul of the refereeing system, characterising the alleged remark as sexual harassment. The controversy has revived scrutiny of the KFA’s previous treatment of women’s football.
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