Recently, the talk of the town revolves around Son Heung-min’s finger injury following a dispute with his teammates.(article) The primary conflict seems to have arisen between Son Heung-min and his teammate Lee Kang-in. What happen just a day before Korea’s exit from the Asian Cup. Despite the lack of concrete facts about the incident, the general public in Korea is siding with Mr. Son and criticizing Mr. Lee.
Image by The Sun
To summarize the event briefly,
On the evening before the match, some young players, including Lee Kang-in(Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain), left the dinner table early to play table tennis. This move displeased team captain Son Heung-min(Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur), who saw the dinner time as an opportunity for team bonding. Son Heung-min expressed dissatisfaction with his early departure, leading to a heated argument. During the argument, Son injured his finger while being restrained by teammates.
There are several rumors surrounding the incident, including Son Heung-min grabbing Lee Kang-in by the collar and Lee Kang-in threatening to quit the national team. Additionally, there are reports of senior players lobbying to exclude Lee Kang-in from the upcoming Jordan match.
The only confirmed facts are the internal conflict within the team and Son Heung-min’s finger injury. However, many Koreans seem to believe that Son Heung-min is right and Lee Kang-in is wrong, even without knowing the full details. How is this judgment possible?
Korea’s hierarchical culture deeply influences various aspects of life.
Firstly, age plays a significant role. Son Heung-min, born in 1992, is the fourth oldest among the 26 squad members, while Lee Kang-in, born in 2001, is the third youngest. Moreover, in terms of roles, Son Heung-min is the team captain, whereas Lee Kang-in is just a regular player. Lastly, Son Heung-min made his professional debut in 2010, while Lee Kang-in did so in 2018.
Ultimately, to Koreans, Lee Kang-in is perceived as subordinate to Son Heung-min in every aspect, making his actions deemed insubordinate. The reasons behind Lee Kang-in’s conflict are no longer significant.
Korea’s soccer culture, characterized by a rigid senior-junior hierarchy, has been criticized for hindering communication and productivity. During the 2002 FIFA World Cup, where Korea reached the quarterfinals, Coach Guus Hiddink criticized Korean soccer players for becoming overly excited when they have the ball, which hinders their decision-making. Additionally, young players may feel intimidated by senior players.
Critics suggest that to discard this hierarchical culture, players should communicate freely regardless of age or rank. It is said that any player who insists on formalities during training sessions will not be taken to the World Cup.
Koreans are making efforts to abandon the hierarchical culture.
Even in the military, soldiers of the same rank share the same room, and in companies, people try to address each other by their names, excluding job titles. However, breaking such deeply ingrained habits seems to be a long journey ahead.
Max