Former Manchester United and Queen Park Ranger midfielder Park Ji-sung have appealed to the club’s fans to stop singing a song about him that contains a racial stereotype about his native South Korea. The 40-year-old retired professional footballer said the song caused him “discomfort” at Manchester United.
Park Ji-sung made his appeal after hearing away fans sing the song as Wolves unveiled their new Korean forward Hwang Hee-chan when they played United in August. He said: “I’m sorry for him to hear that.” He also said: “I have to educate the fans to stop that word, which is usually these days a racial insult to the Korean people.”
Speaking to the UTD podcast, he added: “Listening to the chant even ten years later now, I feel sorry for the younger me who tried to overcome this discomfort that I felt back then. “I also feel responsible for the young people who are still discriminated against as Asians or Koreans and struggling with that kind of discomfort.”
Park Ji-sung played more than 200 games for the Old Trafford side between 2005 and 2012, winning four Premier League titles and a Champions League. He believed that: “In Korea, things have changed a lot. The culture has changed.”
He concluded by saying he is requesting for the fans to stop singing that word. It causes discomfort to Korean people when they hear that song. He also said it’s time to stop, the club fully supports him, and they made it known that they help and urges fans to respect his wishes.