Before fight with Son Heung-min, Lee Kang-in had previously shown disrespect towards his senior
On February 14th, it came to light that Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in, two key players of Korea’s national team, had clashed just before the 2023 Asian Cup semifinal against Jordan.
Lee Kang-in faced backlash for his immature actions. Recently, fans also uncovered another contentious act by the 22-year-old player towards his senior.
The incident occurred during the Asian Cup quarterfinal between South Korea and Australia on February 2nd. Son Heung-min was on the ground, reaching out for teammates to help him up. Only defender Seol Young-woo obliged. Lee Kang-in approached but instead chose to pat his senior’s head. On social media, many criticized Lee Kang-in for disrespecting team captain Son Heung-min.
Lee Kang-in has since returned to France to join PSG. Yesterday, he also issued an apology to the fans. “I should have respected my senior’s authority. My behavior was inappropriate, and I deeply regret disappointing the fans. I am sincerely sorry. Your support means a lot to me, and I promise to learn from this and become a better person in the future.”
According to Dispatch, the fight arose when Lee Kang-in and some other players wanted to play table tennis after dinner. Son Heung-min objected, leading to a confrontation. When Son grabbed Kang-in’s collar, Kang-in immediately retaliated. Bystanders had to intervene.
After the incident, Son Heung-min suffered a dislocated finger, reportedly due to an attempt by another South Korean player to break up the scuffle. On the afternoon of February 15th, Lee Kang-in’s representative stated that Kang-in did not punch Son Heung-min’s face.
