KFA Challenges Fake News Targeting South Korea Players

The Korea Football Association (KFA) on October 13 warned against false information and malicious attacks targeting South Korea national team players after online speculation spread about internal conflicts involving Lee Kang-in, Son Heung-min and other squad members.

According to the KFA, unverified claims, distorted training footage, deepfake videos and personal attacks had caused excessive criticism of players. The federation said it would respond firmly to misuse of its intellectual property and false information.

The KFA said on its official social media that online communities had become a source of speculation about national team players.

"Unconfirmed information and speculative claims about the players of the Korean national soccer team have recently spread around the online community," said the Korea Football Association.

"We are deeply concerned about the situation of excessive criticism and personal attacks against some players," said the Korea Football Association.

The federation said it respected fan opinions but objected to claims made without verification.

"We respect fans' various opinions and criticisms, but players are exposed to excessive mental pain due to speculation and malicious slander circulating without fact-checking," said the Korea Football Association.

The KFA identified several types of harmful content, including distorted interpretations of limited training scenes, rumors described as "securities prices," and deepfake-based ridicule or defamation. It also criticized demands directed at players and clubs to remove individuals from the team.

"We will strictly respond to the act of using the association's videos and photos without permission to disseminate false and distorted information and take unfair profits," said the Korea Football Association.

The federation addressed the reported retirement rumors involving Kim Min-jae, Hwang In-beom and Hwang Hee-chan, who were described in online discussions as "main members born in 1996" after the match against Uzbekistan on the 6th.

Some media outlets and YouTubers spread claims such as "Lee Kang-in urged retirement and ordered the captain to be replaced," but the source article said an investigation found no evidence that Lee caused the conflict or led retirement efforts.

"Each player may have different thoughts and opinions, and the process of acknowledging differences and discussing them freely is an essential factor in creating a healthy organization," said the Korea Football Association.

The federation said disagreements within a team should not be judged through isolated speculation.

"Please refrain from inflating the conflict with fragmentary speculation," said the Korea Football Association.

The KFA also acknowledged concerns from supporters and said it would continue supporting the national team.

"We take seriously the fact that this incident has caused concern to the fans," said the Korea Football Association.

"We will make every effort to support the team to perform at its best and humbly listen to the voices of the fans," said the Korea Football Association.

Lee Kang-in's agency The Black Label separately announced legal action over the rumors. The agency said the claims involving the midfielder were false and that it was collecting evidence related to malicious posts and comments.

"All fake news and malicious rumors surrounding Lee Kang-in are groundless," said The Black Label.

"We are currently collecting evidence on related posts and malicious comments, and we will take strict legal measures in consideration of the seriousness of the issue," said The Black Label.