Omani players celebrate after an own goal off Jung Seung-hyun's head ties the game during the first half of the World Cup qualifier against South Korea at Sultan Qaboos Stadium in Muscat. Yonhap

South Korean national football team player Jung Seung-hyun's own goal has sparked backlash that extends to his family, with some fans leaving malicious comments on his wife's social media accounts.

South Korea secured a 3-1 victory against Oman in the second match of Group B of the AFC third-round qualifiers for the 2026 North and Central American World Cup, held at Sultan Qaboos Stadium in Muscat, Oman.

Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton) scored the opening goal in the 10th minute, followed by Son Heung-min's goal in the 37th minute of the second half. Joo Min-kyu (Ulsan HD) sealed the win with the final goal in added time.

Despite the positive result, some netizens focused on a mistake from the first half and launched a wave of criticism. South Korea conceded a free kick to Oman in injury time of the first half. Oman's Habib Al Saadi sent the free kick toward the Korean goal, where it skimmed off Jung Seung-hyun's head during an aerial duel, resulting in an equalizer.

As the first half, which South Korea had been leading, ended in a 1-1 draw, criticism of Jung quickly spread on various online communities and social media. Some fans, finding Jung's Instagram account set to private, turned to his wife's account, leaving comments such as "Make your husband retire," and "He's terrible."

Jung has previously spoken out about the pain caused by malicious comments targeting his family. This happened back in February during the 2023 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar, under coach Jürgen Klinsmann, when he made an error.

At that time, netizens left hateful comments on his baby's account, saying, "Retire from the national team," and "How can the overseas players win when they have to play with you?"

In response, Jung announced his intention to file complaints against the trolls, stating, "I will proceed with legal action without leniency," and pleaded, "Please refrain from excessive slander and insults toward my family."

Malicious comments flood the Instagram account of South Korean national football player Jung Seung-hyun's wife. Captured from Instagram

Unchecked online abuse

Other South Korean professional football players have also suffered from prolonged abuse online. During the group stage of the Asian Cup in Qatar earlier this year, when Cho Gue-sung's performance fell short, his social media was flooded with comments criticizing his appearance on a variety show, saying, "Practice instead of doing TV shows," and "Cut your hair."

The criticism was so severe that team captain Son Heung-min asked for restraint, saying, "Before being players, we are human beings. Please show some support for the players."

When Lee Kang-in faced criticism over a perceived insubordination incident involving a physical altercation with captain Son Heung-min, his older sister's social media was bombarded with comments like, "Teach him proper manners," and "Fix your brother's attitude."

In response to the growing issue of cyberbullying, the Korean Professional Footballers' Association (KPFA) announced the establishment of a dedicated anti-trolling center in April.

Kim Hoon-gi, secretary-general of the KPFA, said at the time, "We cannot tolerate defamatory and indiscriminate malicious posts and comments that insult not only the players but also their families," and announced plans to file lawsuits.

Lee Kang-in, who sparked controversy over an alleged insubordination incident involving a physical altercation with captain Son Heung-min during the last Asian Cup, shares his thoughts ahead of a training session for the 2026 FIFA World Cup second-round qualifier against Thailand at Seoul World Cup Stadium on March 20. Yonhap

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, a sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.