Pohang Steelers promised to communicate with supporters who caused a local derogatory controversy and prevent its recurrence.

On the 22nd, during the K League 1 Round 5 match held at Gwangju World Cup Stadium, Gwangju FC faced off against Pohang Steelers. The match ended with Pohang's 3-2 victory.

That day, the Pohang supporters 'Ultras Levante', who went to the away game, stood at the center of the 'local derogation' controversy due to inappropriate remarks made on social media.

Ultras Levante shared their journey to Gwangju on their official Instagram story, comparing Gwangju to 'overseas.' Following the phrase 'departure for overseas trip,' they posted 'passed through immigration after arriving in Gwangju.'

The issue is that such expressions go beyond simple jokes and are used to mock specific regions in far-right communities. In some online communities, describing Gwangju as if it were a foreign country has often been used derogatorily, and it was read in the same context this time.

The post immediately sparked backlash. Many football fans criticized Ultras Levante for promoting regional sentiments. As the controversy spread, Ultras Levante quickly issued a statement and posted an apology.

They stated, 'We shared content containing inappropriate remarks through our public account, causing discomfort to many. We should have been more cautious, but we failed to do so.' They added, 'We will not make excuses. We sincerely apologize to everyone who felt uncomfortable.'

A Gwangju FC official stated in a call with OSEN, 'We recognized that the Pohang cheering squad made derogatory remarks about the club and the Gwangju area. The problematic Pohang supporters issued an apology. The club felt there was no need for separate action.'

According to a report by KBS, Pohang Director General Lee Jong-ha said, 'We are currently discussing this. I see it as a situation that requires action. We plan to issue a statement through internal consultations.' He noted, 'I understand that the youngest member of Levante personally posted this behavior. Since they are young, I don't think it was posted from a regional derogatory perspective. We will hold a meeting internally and take appropriate measures.'

A Pohang official stated in a call with OSEN on the 24th, 'The Director General left for a business trip early this morning. It seems he was in a rush when answering the call and found it difficult to grasp the exact situation during the interview.'

'Later, I contacted the supporters immediately after starting work this morning to confirm the exact situation. I think fact-checking is important, so I contacted the sub-group and confirmed that the reported content was true.'

'The club expresses regret over this matter. We believe such incidents should not occur.' He added, 'However, the operation of supporters is not something the club can directly intervene in. Nevertheless, we communicated with the group to prevent recurrence, conveying that 'such incidents should never happen again, and we should be careful together.'

Meanwhile, the group causing the problem, Ultras Levante, conveyed their intention to apologize through social media on the 24th. Below is the full text of the apology.

To Gwangju FC fans, I sincerely apologize.

We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused by the story that referred to the Gwangju away game as 'overseas trip' through our official account.

Although the expression was used on a member's personal account, we created a situation where it could be perceived as our official stance by sharing it on the official account without sufficient internal review. We deeply apologize to fans who felt discomfort due to our negligence.

However, within Ultras Levante, there is absolutely no atmosphere of belittling or hating specific regions. In fact, the Gwangju away game was seen as a meaningful occasion, and we set off with joyful preparations and expectations. We aimed to create good memories in Gwangju through our away support, and while we should have been careful with our expressions, we failed to do so. We sincerely apologize for our careless expressions, realizing that they could hurt many people and will take this matter seriously.

We promise to be more cautious in managing our official account as a result of this incident, and in the future, we will thoroughly review the content process to avoid repeating the same mistakes. Additionally, we will thoroughly disseminate guidelines regarding the appropriate use of expressions and the management of the official account to all members internally to ensure such incidents do not occur again.

I would also like to deeply apologize once again to the fans who love Gwangju FC and the citizens of Gwangju. Furthermore, I express my regret to all fans supporting Pohang Steelers for causing concern, and we will strive to become a more mature and responsible supporters' group.

[OSEN]