"Let's go, Chinese".Lee Kang-in faces racism again in France

Reuters Yonhap News

It was alleged that Lee Kang-in, a member of the national team who plays for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), a French professional football team, heard racist remarks from fans at his team's training ground.

According to French sports media Made in Paris and Britain's Tribuna Dotcom on the 27th, a video of a man saying "Let's go, Chinese!" to Lee Kang-in was posted on X (formerly Twitter) as players passed by at the PSG training site.

The video is believed to have been taken during PSG's fan public training on the 25th. On this day, the players gave high-fives to the fans and passed in turn, and when Lee Kang-in walked, the racist remarks in question appeared.

Netizens who encountered the video said, "Lee Kang-in is Korean," and "I can't believe there's racism at the training site." Comments such as "It is an abhorrent act that cannot be tolerated in football."

Tribuna Dotcom said, "Lee Kang-in is the victim of racist insults by PSG fans. This incident is damaging the image of French soccer, he said. "The authorities must take action against such verbal violence."

Lee Kang-in has been suffering from racism several times, including being told "Chino" by coach Javier Aguirre during training last year when he was playing in Mallorca, Spain. In the past, he appeared on the YouTube channel "Shoot For Love" and said, "There are many Chinese people everywhere I go, so I tell Asians to play."

Not only Lee Kang-in, but also numerous cases of racism suffered by Korean players active in Europe. Rodrigo Bentancourt, a Uruguayan who plays for Tottenham Hotspur in the English Professional Football League (EPL), appeared on his national television and said about his teammate Son Heung-min, "He looks just like his cousin," sparking a controversy over racism.

Hwang Hee-chan of Wolverhampton, England, was told by Marco Courtois, his opponent, in a practice match against Como 1907 (Italy) in July, "I think I'm Jackie Chan (Chinese action actor Cheng Long)." Wolverhampton made an official complaint to FIFA, and Courtois was suspended for 10 games.

Reporter Lee Yu Na from Digital News Team.