On September 3, the KFA Amateur Referee Evaluation Panel completed its review of the match details and official audio logs and decided to escalate the case, referring Referee Bae Sun-young to the KFA Disciplinary Committee.

While the KFA referee team initially stated the word "menstruation" (생리) was not used directly over the headsets, they did use the slang expression "Girl's Day" (걸스데이).

Amusingly, the acting head of the KFA Referee Committee accompanied the referee on a visit to Suwon FC Women to offer an explanation, where they provided this gem: the comment "was not directed at Ji So-yeon personally, but at the players on the pitch as a whole".

Unsurprisingly, that sparked an even bigger backlash from player advocate organisations. The Korea Professional Footballers Association (KPFA) issued a statement condemning the explanation, pointing out that claiming the comment targeted all female players on the pitch actually broadened the offence rather than resolving it, highlighting a clear lack of gender sensitivity within officiating bodies.

Speaking to reporters Ji So-yeon expressed disappointment regarding the visit, saying it felt more like an attempt to justify the remark rather than an actual apology.

- Football body opens disciplinary case against referee over alleged remark on player

- Ji So-yeon accuses referee of sexual harassment and insufficient apology

- Referee's alleged sexist remark toward Ji So-yeon sparks outcry

- "Wrong is Wrong... Hope This Becomes an Opportunity for Mutual Respect"

There are references to a Korea Times article titled "The Korea Times - Referee faces calls for lifetime ban over alleged period remark", but I'm unable to open it, and it may have been deleted.

Seoul and Gwangju are all but guaranteed to keep their respective places, but the fight in the middle has been incredibly close. Suwon leads K2 in the promotion fight, but the lead is not as comfortable as they'd like.

Good move

We are nearing the end of the WK league season, and the playoff stage of the WK league is a little over a month away. Odds are that Hwacheon will play one of Sejong, Gyeongju or Mungyeon for the right to face Suwon in the final.

The playoff match will be a single-leg knockout between 2nd and 3rd seeds. Unfortunately, it will be held on Wednesday, November 4.

The final will be two Saturday matches, November 7 and November 14, both at 14:00.

I'm unable to attend the 4 November matches at any of the likely venues, but I expect Suwon will face Hwacheon in the final, and I'll be able to attend both of those.

Anyone else thinking about attending one ot both of the final matches?

It's been a while since I linked/updated my written stories of attending WK League matches, but I was still writing. For those interested, here are my posts from Seoul's home matches against Gangjin, Gyeongju, and the away match in Suwon.

He will take charge of the national team for six friendlies. A contract extension into the Asian Cup and beyond is possible.

I haven't been focusing on K3/4 so much this year and missed the change. At the start of the season, it was announced that teams had to indicate that they were NOT available for promotion. With the change, teams now have to indicate that they are available for promotion. They also have to apply, similar to K3 teams wanting to join K League 2. The reasoning seems to be that teams need to demonstrate that they will be able to handle the financial demands of the higher league.

However, not a single team has been cleared for promotion to K3, and there will be no relegation from K3, or promotion from K4 this season. Fans are pissed.

He's played a crucial role in Seoul's campaign this year, but if Seoul wins the league, he won't be here to lift the trophy. Very disappointing.

At the WK League match between Suwon and Seoul on Friday evening, there was an incident involving Ji So-Yeon that got so heated that she threw a water bottle and shouted so loudly at the referee that we could hear her in the stands.

Coming from a rugby background, I believe that you NEVER talk to a referee like that. The referee makes their decisions, right or wrong, and they don't change them. You, as the player, need to accept it and get back to the game. Asking about it and having a quick discussion is one thing, but not arguing.

Ji So-Yeon received a yellow and was even threatened with a red, but the referee clearly didn't want to go that far. Unfortunately, the event seemed to affect the referee negatively because after that she seemed reluctant to penalise anyone.

It was only the next day that we learned what had happened. Here is the Gemini summary of the events:

Overview of the Incident

Around the 30th minute of the first half, the match was halted for roughly four minutes after Ji So-yeon strongly confronted head referee Bae Sun-young.

• The Inappropriate Remark: Ji So-yeon reported hearing the officiating team make a derogatory remark over their headsets implying that she was being overly sensitive because she was "on her period". When Ji So-yeon confronted referee Bae Sun-young about the statement, she received a yellow card for protesting.
• Escalation & Handling of the Red Card: Following the booking and further exchange near the touchline/fourth official, an irritated Ji So-yeon threw down a water bottle in frustration. Referee Bae pulled a red card out of her pocket and approached Ji. However, after holding the red card in her hand while conversing with players and staff for an extended period, she put the card away without showing it to anyone, sparking further criticism regarding improper refereeing procedure.
• Match Outcome & Suspensions: Despite the incident, Ji So-yeon went on to score the winning goal in the 74th minute (29th minute of the second half), securing a 2-1 victory for Suwon FC Women 🇰🇷. However, because of the yellow card received during the controversy, she faced an accumulation-based suspension for Suwon's next match against Hwacheon KSPO.

Aftermath & Responses

• Referees / KFA Explanation: Referee Bae initially denied the remark but later acknowledged a "slip of the tongue," arguing it was an internal comment between the officials on the radio headsets and not intended as a direct insult to the player. The Korea Football Association (KFA) Referee Committee released a statement clarifying that while they concluded the word "menstruation" was not explicitly used, improper and unnecessary language was exchanged among officials, promising re-education and measures to prevent recurrence.
• Suwon FC Women: The club announced plans to submit a formal protest to both the KFA and the Korea Women's Football Federation regarding both the inappropriate remarks and the handling of the match discipline.

Is there anyone else in the Seoul/Incheon area collecting FIFA 2026 Panini Stickers, and looking to swap spare stickers?

I am partial, but this is a thing of beauty. I love the subliminal print of this kit, up there with the Puma kit with the shoulder patterns from a few seasons ago; I just wish I hadn't just left Jeju (and bought the kit they wore against Bayern).

Ok last transfer news post for tonight, I swear

We may now have two Bundesliga fullbacks if Castrop is played there

18 year old Daejeon left back joins Bayern reserves. There are now three Korean players part of the Bavarian club at different levels

What do you think about kim sang sik performance in vietnam

Jeonbuk youth prodigy joins the Serbian champions

It is only the second time since Anyang's promotion to K1 that Seoul has defeated them

I run a streetwear brand called RRose From Concrete and, as a football fan, I’ve been making custom/reworked jerseys.

For LAFC’s upcoming Korean Heritage Night, I made a new piece using the latest LAFC jersey featuring “Son Heung Min” in vertical Korean calligraphy, inspired by the traditional way Korean was written and read from right to left.

The graphic pattern comes from a Korean flag I made by cutting and sewing together bandanas.

I’ll have a limited number available on my website. I’m purchasing the jerseys at full retail myself, so they’re not cheap, but I also offer Korean nameset transfers if you’d rather add the design to your own LAFC jersey.

I’m also giving away one jersey on my IG if you’d like to enter ❤️🇰🇷⚽️

Gwangju in K League 1: last, with little hope of catching up.

Dragons in K League 2: second-to-last with just one point ahead of Gimhae in last place, but for how long?

Mokpo in K3 League: second-to-last, only kept from the bottom by Jeonbuk's reserve team.

Gangjin in WK League: similar to Gwangju, last with little hope of getting off the bottom anytime soon.