Lee Seung-woo. [Yonhap]
Lee Seung-woo. [Yonhap]

Former South Gyeongsang Province FC manager Seol Ki-hyeon, 47, has described the on-pitch confrontation between Lee Seung-woo, 28, of Jeonbuk Hyundai and Ulsan HD manager Kim Hyun-seok, 59, as "a situation you rarely see even in Europe."

Appearing on the YouTube channel "HOT다리영표" on Tuesday, Seol said, "In Europe, you do see players and opposing coaches get into it, but a manager and a player going at each other like that — that's not something you see often." Former international Lee Young-pyo, also on the program, agreed: "It's not a common sight in Europe either."

Seol added that the incident reflected poorly on the sport regardless of where it occurred. "Whether in Korea or Europe, it wasn't a good look," he said. "Giving everything to win is important, but you also need to show respect for your opponent."

The incident took place Saturday at Jeonju World Cup Stadium during Round 24 of the Hana Bank K League 1 2026, with Jeonbuk Hyundai hosting Ulsan HD. In the 75th minute, with Jeonbuk leading 1-0, Lee became involved in a verbal altercation with Kim as he was being substituted off. Staff from both sides stepped in to separate the two, and referee Ko Hyung-jin issued yellow cards to both Lee and Kim.

The two clubs have offered differing accounts of what triggered the confrontation. Jeonbuk's understanding is that Kim took issue with the time it took to complete the substitution, as Lee had been experiencing shoulder pain. Lee has a recurring shoulder dislocation condition, and the delay reportedly stemmed from uncertainty over whether to substitute him after he landed on his arm during a header challenge.

Ulsan told a different story. A club official said Kim was not objecting to the pace of the substitution but rather to behavior Lee had directed toward the away supporters. Kim himself declined to elaborate after the match, saying only, "The reason I was angry is something else." Jeonbuk manager Jeong Jeong-yong also said he had not been able to determine exactly what had passed between the two.

Lee sidestepped a direct question about the clash after the final whistle. "I'm a Jeonbuk player, he's the Ulsan manager — we both wanted to win badly. That's football," he said. Kim was equally tight-lipped: "I have nothing more to say. The footage will tell you everything."


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