Following the South Korean national football team's failure to advance to the Round of 32 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, some netizens have directed malicious comments toward television personality Jonathan, who is of Democratic Republic of the Congo descent, drawing widespread criticism.
The South Korean team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, finished the group stage today, June 28, with one win and two losses. With three points, they fell outside the top eight among third-place teams across all groups, resulting in their elimination from the tournament.
South Korea's exit was tied to the results of Group K, where the Democratic Republic of the Congo defeated Uzbekistan 3-1 to secure third place, effectively ending South Korea's hopes of advancing.
Following the match, some netizens flocked to the Instagram account of Jonathan, a television personality originally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to leave malicious comments.
The comments included demands such as "Apologize to the Korean people," "It's because of you that we didn't make it to the Round of 32," and "Did you cheer for Congo?" along with hostile remarks like "Post an apology" and "Get deported." Some of these messages contained racist sentiments completely unrelated to the match.
Jonathan, who had no involvement in the match, became a target of intense criticism solely because of his country of origin.
Jonathan has not released any statement regarding the matter.
Born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2000, Jonathan arrived in South Korea with his family in 2008.
Since then, he has been active in the broadcasting industry and has consistently shown his affection for South Korea, often referring to himself as a "Korean-Congolese."
He recently revealed that he has completed his naturalization exam and is currently awaiting the results.
Voices criticizing the malicious comments directed at Jonathan have also emerged. Other netizens have left messages of support, stating, "Why take your anger out on an innocent person?", "It is wrong to criticize someone based on their nationality," and "I am sorry on behalf of the people of South Korea."
Critics have pointed out that the disappointment over South Korea's World Cup elimination has led to misplaced anger directed at an individual who has no connection to the game.
Meanwhile, with this failure to reach the Round of 32, head coach Hong Myung-bo has faced another bitter defeat in his second World Cup appearance as a manager, 12 years after his stint at the 2014 Brazil tournament.
Reported by Kim Minjeong | Video by Na Hong-hee | Graphics by Lee Jung-ju | Produced by SBS Digital News
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