Midfielder Lee Kang-in bowed 90 degrees to apologize for the altercation with Son Heung-min, prior to the South Korean national team training session on the afternoon of March 20.
Before the press, Lee Kang-in publicly apologized for disappointing South Korean fans. “People gave me a lot of attention and support during the Asian Cup 2023,” Lee Kang-in said. “But I failed to reciprocate and instead disappointed everyone.”
The PSG midfielder acknowledged the lesson learned and stated that criticisms from fans would be beneficial for his future. “I promise to become a better, more useful player for the national team,” Lee stated before bowing 90 degrees as a gesture of apology. According to a Korean Football Association (KFA) official, this apology press conference was voluntarily proposed by Lee Kang-in himself.
This marks the third apology from Lee Kang-in following the altercation with Son Heung-min. The incident occurred just before the Asian Cup 2023 semi-final match against Jordan, which South Korea lost 0-2, but it was downplayed by the KFA. On February 14, the incident was exposed by the British newspaper The Sun, prompting Lee to post his first apology on his personal Instagram account that evening. A week later, Lee Kang-in traveled to England to personally apologize to Son Heung-min. Both players posted apology letters on their personal Instagram accounts, with Lee accepting full responsibility while Son called for forgiveness.
The incident led to Lee Kang-in losing several advertising contracts, while the image of the national team of South Korea became tarnished in the eyes of fans. The altercation also became the final straw leading to the immediate dismissal of coach Jurgen Klinsmann by the KFA, despite his contract running until July 2026.
Subsequently, the KFA appointed interim coach Hwang Sun-hong, who currently coaches the South Korean U23 team, for the two matches against Thailand in the second round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers – Asia region. Coach Hwang Sun-hong still included both Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in in the squad, despite some calls for disciplinary action against the two players.
Son Heung-min once again defended Lee Kang-in at the press conference on March 20, a day before the match against Thailand. He stated that his teammate had shown courage by publicly apologizing and was accepted by the entire team. He expressed hope that Lee would mature from his mistake and become a better player. Additionally, he proposed that journalists refrain from mentioning the altercation in the future.
“I hope there won’t be any more articles about my finger,” Son stated. “It’s not a serious injury, and I don’t want to see people suffer because of it.”
South Korea is currently leading Group C in the second round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers – Asia region, with six points. If they win both matches against Thailand, South Korea will secure a spot in the third round of qualifiers.