ONE TOUCH SUMMARY
- Ji So-yun's on-field dispute with referee Bae Sun-young sparked South Korea's biggest women's football controversy.
- Suwon FC Women asked the KFA to investigate the alleged remark made during the WK League match.
- The KFA referred the case to its fair play committee, which will determine any disciplinary action.
ONE TOUCH INSIGHT
South Korea's problem is not one referee. It is a governing body that has spent years treating its women's game as a compliance item, and the "girl's day" episode has exposed how thin the patience runs underneath.
Ji So-yun, the country's all-time top scorer, was booked in the 31st minute of Suwon FC Women's meeting with Seoul City Hall after protesting repeated rough tackles and then reacting to a remark she says she heard over the officials' radio. Bae Sun-young denies making it. The KFA's refereeing department says "period" was never used and nothing was aimed at Ji; reports point to "girl's day" instead. So the player carries the yellow, and the alleged comment goes to a fair play committee.
The Korea Pro-Footballers Association has already called it sexual harassment and wants Bae out. That framing is not overheated given the KFA's record: last year the national team threatened to boycott the Asian Cup over travel and accommodation, and in February the KFA declared the matter "resolved".
Whether the fair play committee sanctions anyone besides the player who complained will tell you what "resolved" actually meant.
WHY IT MATTERS
The incident has widened into a test of how the KFA governs women's football, reviving last year's boycott threat over discriminatory treatment and questions about accountability.
TACTICAL FIT
Tactically the match itself turned on Ji's confrontation and booking; strategically, the case pressures the KFA to reform refereeing standards and the WK League's wider support structures.
Moving the Goalposts newsletterWomen's football
‘Girl’s day’ controversy reignites debate over how women are treated in South Korean football
A referee is alleged to have made a remark referring to menstruation that has revived concerns about treatment of players
Abbie Aitken in Seoul
Tue 8 Sep 2026 06.00 EDT Last modified on Tue 8 Sep 2026 11.06 EDT
I t was a comment allegedly made by a referee during a WK League match that became one of the biggest controversies in South Korean women’s football. What began as an on-field dispute involving South Korea’s all-time top goalscorer, Ji So-yun, has since developed into a wider debate, prompting a response from the Korea Football Association and raising questions about the treatment of female players, the structural set-up of women’s football in Korea and accountability within its governing bodies.
It was around the 31st minute of the Suwon FC Women v Seoul City Hall game on 28 August when the incident happened. Suwon’s former Chelsea midfielder Ji appealed for a foul after what she felt were repeated rough tackles by the opposition. The female referee, Bae Sun-young, is then alleged to have made, over the officials’ radio system, a remark interpreted as referring to menstruation after describing Ji as “sensitive from the start”. Ji says she overheard the comment and footage from the game shows Ji visibly upset as she talks to the referee. Ji was shown a yellow card after confronting the official. In frustration Ji threw a water bottle as she approached the Suwon bench. Bae walked towards Ji, appearing to reach for a red card before deciding against issuing one, showing a yellow instead.
After the match Bae denied making the remark, saying later that it had been a private conversation between match officials. The KFA’s refereeing department has said that the word “period” was not used and that the comments were not directed at Ji, but there have been reports that the term “girl’s day” was used instead.
After the match Suwon asked the Korea Women’s Football Federation and the KFA to look further into the matter. The KFA has now begun disciplinary proceedings and said: “Considering the seriousness of the matter, we decided to refer the case to the fair play committee in accordance with referee regulations.” The KFA’s fair play committee will listen to explanations from those involved and will review the incident. It will then determine disciplinary action based on the outcome.
The KFA further announced that it will use this incident as an opportunity to prevent similar events and strengthen education to create a culture of respect for players, referees, and participants in the WK League.
The Korea Pro-Footballers Association said it does not see this as a mere dispute on the pitch, but a serious human rights violation and abuse of refereeing power. The organisation called for Bae’s expulsion and a complete overhaul of the refereeing system, characterising the alleged remark as sexual harassment.
The controversy has revived scrutiny of the KFA’s previous treatment of women’s football. Last year, the women’s national team threatened to boycott the 2026 Women’s Asian Cup over what the players described as discriminatory treatment. Players said they faced long journeys, were forced to stay in “inadequate” accommodation far from training grounds and felt their conditions were evidence of discrimination compared to those of their male counterparts. In a statement the team said they would suspend all training related to the tournament if the KFA did not respond to their letter. The KFA said in February the matter had been “resolved”.
With the investigation still under way it may be some time before the fair play committee reaches a final decision. Yet the incident has become about far more than Ji’s confrontation with a referee and has brought back into focus long-running concerns about the treatment of female players, and renewed questions about the KFA’s accountability. And that is no bad thing.
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