Lee Kang-in met directly and apologized to Son Heung-min. In return, the captain of the South Korean team also called for forgiveness for his teammate after the altercation at the 2023 Asian Cup.
Both of them posted letters on their personal Instagram pages this morning, February 21st, after Lee Kang-in traveled from Paris (France) to London (UK) to meet Son Heung-min. Lee thanked his senior for welcoming him and accepting the meeting.
“I think it’s important to visit Son Heung-min and offer a sincere apology,” Lee shared. “I have come to understand the burden he carries as captain and have reflected on myself.”
Son Heung-min (left) and Lee Kang-in met in London, UK for the first time since the 2023 Asian Cup.
On February 5th, a day before the Asian Cup semi-final against Jordan, Lee Kang-in referred to a disagreement with Son Heung-min. In the evening, some young players, including Lee, played table tennis instead of following the captain’s instructions. A scuffle broke out, and Son injured his finger.
The PSG midfielder stated, “I did something that should never have happened during that meal. Son’s advice to me was about team unity, as a captain and teammate. But I didn’t listen and only expressed my own opinion. I deeply regret these actions.”
Lee also revealed that he had contacted each player on the South Korean national team to apologize for the incident, promising to adopt a proper and respectful attitude in the future. Besides Lee, two other players, Seol Young-woo and Jung Woo-young, were also criticized for playing table tennis. Lee expressed regret and wished to receive punishment for his actions rather than criticism aimed at other players.
The 2001-born midfielder also bowed his head in apology to the fans for deviating from his duties and role as a representative player for South Korea. “I apologize for disappointing everyone,” Lee wrote in his letter, also pledging to dedicate himself even more in the future.
Son Heung-min confirmed that Lee had sincerely apologized to all the players on the national team. “Kang-in has gone through an extremely difficult time since the incident,” he said. “Please forgive him with an open heart just this once.”
The 1992-born forward also admitted responsibility for allowing the incident to happen and deserved criticism. However, he believed that the captain’s duty is to do things for the benefit of the team, even if one personally dislikes it, but will try to lead teammates to act more wisely and sensibly in the future. “We sincerely apologize for causing chaos and consider this a lesson to work diligently to help the national team develop,” Son concluded his letter.
Following the incident, Lee Kang-in personally lost many advertising contracts, while the national team’s image became ugly in the eyes of fans. The altercation also led to the Korean Football Association (KFA) immediately dismissing coach Jurgen Klinsmann despite his contract running until July 2026.
Regarding Son and Lee, KFA President Chung Mong-gyu stated that they would discuss with the new national team coach. The highest disciplinary action KFA can take is to not call up the two players to the national team for a certain period.