Former baseball player Kim Byung-hyun. [Yonhap]
Former baseball player Kim Byung-hyun. [Yonhap]

Former baseball player Kim Byung-hyun has apologized for publicly criticizing fellow athletes who called out former national team head coach Hong Myung-bo.

Kim posted a clarification video on his YouTube channel Monday, saying he had not intended to anger soccer fans or "pour fuel on the fire." "I genuinely did not know the history that soccer fans had with this situation," he said. "It was ignorant of me to speak without knowing the full picture." He added that he wanted to apologize to soccer fans who were hurt, saying he felt he had "missed the point."

Kim said his belief in respecting seniority among athletes had not changed, but acknowledged he had spoken without understanding the full context. "I was wrong to speak without properly knowing the frustration soccer fans had built up over time," he said. He added that he had never intended to hurt soccer fans or defend anyone in particular. "This is not a forced apology — I sincerely want to apologize to the soccer fans I hurt by speaking without knowing the whole story," he said.

Earlier, in a video released last month, Kim had criticized remarks made by a younger athlete from the soccer world who had called for Hong's removal.

At the time, Kim said it felt like a former player — unlike an ordinary fan — had crossed a line by using the phrase "Hong Myung-bo, get out," and he stressed the importance of respecting seniority among athletes.

The remarks were widely understood as directed at Kim Young-gwang, a former national team goalkeeper who said "Hong Myung-bo, get out" during a TikTok live broadcast after the South Africa match.

Soccer fans subsequently criticized Kim, saying he had spoken without properly understanding the controversy surrounding Hong and the Korea Football Association.

Kim reiterated that he had not intended to defend anyone. "This is not a forced apology — I do want to apologize to the soccer fans who were hurt because I spoke without knowing the full picture," he said.


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