Photo: Republic of Korea from Seoul, Republic of Korea · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Born in South Korea · Nationality South Korean — Sport / football

Lee Kang-in

Documented profile covering 3 controversies, including “Altercation with Son Heung-min during 2024 Asian Cup and public apology” and “Racist insult by PSG supporter, permanently excluded by the club”.

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Profile No. 0375 · Updated on 12 October 2026

3Documented controversies

6Sources

0Formal charge · all time

0Conviction

§ Legal statuses reflect the documented sources as of the date shown; they replace neither court decisions nor the presumption of innocence. Counts are not a rating. Methodology

I. Documented controversies

2026-06/07

2026 World Cup: video of him confronting the bench against South Africa fuels speculation of internal dissent, subsequently denied

Investigation

Following the 0-1 defeat against South Africa at the 2026 World Cup, a video showing Lee Kang-in addressing the bench forcefully during a break fuelled speculation that he was calling for Lee Jae-sung or Son Heung-min to be brought on and challenging the manager's decisions. The incident was revisited during a parliamentary hearing concerning the KFA.

State of the evidence: Documented
Attribution: Directly implicated

Sources · 2

[1]
Yonhap김진규 "손흥민·이재성 안 뛰어서 남아공戰 졌다고 생각 안해"MediaHigh reliability
[2]
Dong-A Ilbo김진규 코치 “벤치 향해 소리친 이강인, 조규성 넣으라고 한 것”MediaHigh reliability

Last verified: 21 August 2026

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2024-02/03

Altercation with Son Heung-min during 2024 Asian Cup and public apology

No legal proceedings

During the 2024 Asian Cup, an argument between South Korean players before the semi-final escalated into an altercation involving Lee Kang-in and captain Son Heung-min, who injured a finger. The KFA confirmed that a confrontation had occurred. Lee subsequently apologised publicly and travelled to London to apologise to Son personally.

State of the evidence: Documented
Legal status — source text: No legal proceedings
Attribution: Personally implicated

Sources · 2

[1]
YonhapSouth Korea federation confirms clash involving Son, Lee at Asian CupMediaHigh reliability
[2]
YonhapSon Heung-min accepts Lee Kang-in's apology after Asian Cup rowMediaHigh reliability

Last verified: 21 August 2026

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2024-10

Racist insult by PSG supporter, permanently excluded by the club

Civil / administrative proceedings — against a third party

Protagonist is the victim — these proceedings are not counted in their formal charges or convictions.

During a PSG training session open to the public, a supporter addressed South Korean player Lee Kang-in by calling him "Chinese". The video prompted widespread outrage, and PSG announced the supporter's permanent exclusion from supporters' groups.

State of the evidence: Documented
Attribution: Protagonist is the victim
Role of the person profiled: Protagonist is the victim

Sources · 2

[1]
Yonhap'이강인에 인종차별 발언' PSG 팬, 서포터스 그룹서 영구 제명MediaHigh reliability
[2]
L'ÉquipeUn supporter du PSG exclu après l'incident raciste contre Lee Kang-inMediaHigh reliability

Last verified: 21 August 2026

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II. Constellation of documented links

Linked profile (portrait or initials) — click to open it
Line width: number of documented references
Hover over or tap a line: controversies and sources

Two profiles are linked when a documented controversy of one names the other. The link points to that controversy and its sources; it does not indicate a personal relationship.

List of documented links (1)

Son Heung-min2 documented references
- Altercation with Son Heung-min during 2024 Asian Cup and public apology Source ↗
- 2026 World Cup: video of him confronting the bench against South Africa fuels speculation of internal dissent, subsequently denied Source ↗

III. Has something changed?

A new court decision, a missing source, a mistake? Tell us what should be updated: every request is read by the editorial team.