{
  "id": 5502292,
  "title": "South Korean football referee faces hearing over ‘period’ insult",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/04/south-korean-football-referee-faces-hearing-over-period-insult",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-04T05:05:02.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today-freemalays",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/sports/2026/09/04/south-korean-football-referee-faces-hearing-over-period-insult"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A South Korean female football referee is set to face a disciplinary hearing following allegations that she insulted former Chelsea player Ji So-yun by claiming she was menstruating, the football association revealed on Friday. The inquiry stems from an incident that occurred during a domestic women's league match between Ji's Suwon FC Women and Seoul City Hall. The controversy began when Ji requested a penalty for her team, prompting her to confront the official. According to Ji, the referee allegedly stated, \"She's been touchy since the start, she must be on her period.\" The Korea Football Association (KFA) has forwarded the case to their disciplinary committee, but has not disclosed the date of the hearing. It's worth noting that the KFA's refereeing department claimed the word \"period\" was not used, and that the remarks were not directed specifically at Ji. The Korea Women's Football Federation (KWFF) maintains that the term used was \"girl's day,\" a euphemism for menstruation. Ji reportedly heard the comment through the communication system used by officials. The KFA stated that their referee council recognized the gravity of the allegations and decided to refer the case to its disciplinary committee.",
  "summary": "A woman official was accused of insulting former Chelsea midfielder Ji So-yun by claiming she was menstruating.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 4,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "South Korean football referee faces hearing over ‘period’ insult",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/04/south-korean-football-referee-faces-hearing-over-period-insult-5505005",
        "published": "2026-09-04T05:05:02.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "Ansel Elgort faces Korean backlash for wearing Japanese attire in Seoul",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/04/ansel-elgort-faces-korean-backlash-for-wearing-japanese-attire-in",
        "published": "2026-09-04T07:02:03.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Gulf News",
        "title": "South Korean football referee faces hearing over 'period' insult",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/04/south-korean-football-referee-faces-hearing-over-period-insult-5516167",
        "published": "2026-09-04T07:07:53.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}