Park Hang-seo erupts over 'Kimchi man' taunt, shouts 'Come down' toward the stands

[Financial News] Park Hang-seo, who coaches Kanchanaburi Power FC in Thailand's second-tier professional league, was angered after a Thai spectator directed the racist taunt 'Kimchi man' at him. Park shouted 'Come down' toward the stands, but club officials intervened and the incident did not escalate into a physical confrontation.
According to News1 and other outlets on the 2nd, Park had a confrontation with an opposing fan after a 2-2 draw the previous day in an away match against Pattaya United at Nongprue Stadium in Thailand. The match was the ninth round of the 2026-27 Thai League 2 season.
The Vietnamese outlet Thanh Nien reported, 'As Park was heading to the locker room after the match, a man believed to be a fan of the home team, Pattaya, came down to the first tier of the stands and repeatedly jeered at and insulted Park.' It added, 'The man mocked Park in particular by referring to “kimchi,” a symbol of Korean culture and food.'
In a video posted on X (formerly Twitter), the man believed to be an opposing team's fan can be heard repeatedly shouting at Park, 'Kimchi man. F***ing Kimchi man.' Park initially put a finger to his lips to gesture for him to be quiet, but as the taunting continued, he gestured for the man to come down and shouted at him. Club officials and others restrained Park, and the incident did not escalate into a physical confrontation.
Adding profanity to the name of kimchi, Korea's signature food, to mock someone is regarded as a typical form of racism.
After the match, Kanchanaburi's club issued a statement saying, 'Everyone is valuable and deserves respect, regardless of who we are, where we come from, what our skin color is, or what we eat,' and added, 'We actively support the fight against racism.'
Meanwhile, this is not the first time Park has faced a racism controversy in Thai football.
Shortly after the 2019 World Cup qualifiers, when Park was coaching Vietnam's national team, Thailand national team goalkeeper coach Sasha Todic raised a hand to chest height in front of Park and made a gesture that appeared to mock a particular physical trait. The Vietnam Football Federation filed a complaint with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the Football Association of Thailand referred Todic to its disciplinary committee and later dismissed him.
[email protected] Kim Su-yeon Reporter