The targeted harassment followed an error by the keeper that contributed to South Korea’s early elimination from the tournament.
The public backlash began after South Korea’s 0-1 defeat to host nation Mexico in the group stage. During the match, Kim Seung-gyu failed to hold onto the ball, allowing Mexican midfielder Luis Romo to capitalize and score the game’s only goal.
South Korea’s next 0-1 loss to South Africa in their final group match eliminated them from the tournament with one win and two losses.
Goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu and his wife Kim Jin-kyung. Photo by Instagram/@jinkyung3_3 |
Following the team’s elimination, Kim Seung-gyu faced heavy criticism from fans. Unfortunately, the wave of outrage quickly spilled over to Kim Jin-kyung’s social media accounts, despite her having no involvement in the tournament.
The negative comments were not limited to sports-related posts. Many angry fans flooded the comments section of a YouTube vlog documenting the actress’s recent childbirth journey.
Numerous accounts took advantage of this personal video as a platform to criticize her husband’s performance, according to Kbizoom.
Under immense pressure from the backlash, Kim Jin-kyung restricted interactions across YouTube and her other profiles. Currently, only her subscribers can leave comments on her YouTube channel, while interactions on several other posts have been locked entirely.
The couple, who married in June 2024, recently welcomed their first daughter. Because he was focused on South Korea’s World Cup campaign, Kim Seung-gyu was unable to be present for the birth of his child.
He was only able to see his newborn through photos and video calls. The 34-year-old goalkeeper witnessed his baby opening her eyes for the first time via a call with his wife, just before the team’s 2-1 victory against the Czech Republic.
During a press conference prior to the tournament, Kim Seung-gyu had publicly apologized to his wife for missing the birth, promising to make up for his absence by delivering strong performances for the national team.
Comments are closed.