Defender Seol Young-woo vows to respond to online abuse after South Africa defeat

Korea defender Seol Young-woo vowed to take strong legal action against malicious online comments after the national team suffered a shocking 1-0 defeat to South Africa in the group stage of the FIFA World Cup 2026.

The announcement came from Seol's agency, Sporty Project, about an hour after Korea's Group A match against South Africa at Monterrey Stadium in Mexico on Wednesday.

"We have identified comments and messages containing profanity, personal attacks, defamation and false information that clearly go beyond the bounds of legitimate expression," Seol’s agency said in a statement posted on social media. "Such behavior can never be justified and can cause serious harm not only to the player but also to his family and those around him."

The agency added that it is continuously monitoring online posts and comments and will respond without leniency to illegal acts, including malicious slander, personal attacks and the spread of false information.

Speaking to reporters in the mixed zone after Korea failed to secure a place in the Round of 32 on its own, Seol acknowledged the team's disappointment but insisted the campaign was not over.

"It's true that all of us are feeling down," Seol said. "But it's not over yet, so we've told each other to prepare for the next match."

Korea finished third in Group A with one win and two losses and must now rely on results from other groups to determine whether the side advances to the knockout stage.

Seol accepted responsibility when asked about the defeat.

"We lost because we didn't play well,” he said. “We simply weren't better than our opponents.”

"As a defender, I feel responsible because if we hadn't given them a goal, even a draw would have been enough for us to qualify on our own."

Seol also apologized to supporters.

"Every one of us wanted to pick up the points we needed and qualify without any drama, but things didn't go our way," he said. "Our fans gave us incredible support, and I'm just sorry [we couldn't repay them with a better result].”

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BY KIM JI-HYE [[email protected]]