{
  "id": 5505005,
  "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",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-04T05:05:02.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today",
    "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 undergo a disciplinary hearing following claims she insulted former Chelsea star Ji So-yun by suggesting she was menstruating during a domestic league match. The Football Association of Korea (KFA) informed AFP of the inquiry into an incident that occurred during a Women's League game between Ji's Suwon FC Women and Seoul City Hall team. The controversy began when Ji requested a penalty for her team, prompting the referee to confront her about allegedly saying, \"She's been touchy since the start, she must be on her period.\" The KFA has forwarded the case to their disciplinary committee, but the hearing's timing remains undetermined. Initially, the KFA's refereeing department denied the phrase \"period\" was used, stating the remarks did not specifically target Ji. However, the Women's Football Federation of Korea claims the term employed was \"girl's day,\" a euphemism for menstruation. Ji confirmed hearing the referee make the remark via an intercom system used by officials. The KFA's referee council acknowledged the gravity of the allegations and opted to refer the matter to their 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",
        "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."
}