Fallout from ‘96 Line retirement’ rumors suddenly hits Lee Kang-in ... ‘Son Heung-min being ostracized?’ A barrage of abusive comments on social media

[Financial News] ‘The fallout from the national team’s 96 Line retirement uproar has landed on Lee Kang-in (Atlético Madrid). His social media, with him singled out as the person behind it, has turned into a complete madhouse.’
As controversy over rumors that three members of South Korea’s national team born in 1996 (Kim Min-jae, Hwang In-beom and Hwang Hee-chan) would retire together has spread to suspicions that Lee Kang-in was forming a faction, his personal social media accounts have been overrun with indiscriminate malicious comments.
According to a report by KNN News and other outlets on the 12th, some YouTube channels have recently raised allegations that “Lee Kang-in joined forces with players from the 96 Line and acted to replace Son Heung-min as captain.” The claim that Lee was at the center of the 96 Line’s late-night locker-room meeting and retirement rumors that surfaced after the match against Uzbekistan has been spreading.
The repercussions grew uncontrollably as soon as these allegations emerged. Angered by suspicions that he was fomenting factionalism, netizens immediately flocked to Lee Kang-in’s social media accounts and unleashed vitriolic criticism.
Lee Kang-in’s social media comment sections are now filled with personal attacks such as “How dare you sideline Son Heung-min and form a faction?” and “Stop stirring up trouble by siding with the 96 Line and leave the national team with them.” The physical altercation with Son Heung-min that came to light during the Asian Cup in Qatar last January has also been dredged up again, prompting a flood of sharp reactions such as “Go play table tennis” and “He should be permanently kicked out of the national team.”

The controversy began after it became known that the three 96 Line players had met with Korea Football Association officials following a friendly against Uzbekistan on the 6th. Although Hwang In-beom denied retirement in an interview in the mixed zone, the atmosphere within the national team had yet to fully settle, and the emergence of claims that Lee Kang-in was behind the episode only added fuel to the controversy.
The specific facts have yet to be clearly established, including whether Lee Kang-in actually led discussions about the 96 Line’s retirement or whether there was a move to exclude Son Heung-min.
Regardless of whether the allegations are true, the phenomenon of internal tensions within the national team leading to concentrated criticism of one particular player has sparked debate online. Some netizens have urged people to refrain from blindly posting abusive comments, saying, “Players should not be criticized on the basis of allegations whose facts have not been verified.”
[email protected] Jeon Sang-il Reporter