Lee Kang-in's Agency Rejects Son Heung-min Ostracism Claims, Warns of Legal Action

Agency moves against claims of a national team clique

Lee Kang-in's agency, The Black Label, said on October 13 that online allegations linking the South Korea midfielder to efforts to ostracize captain Son Heung-min were false. It said it was collecting posts and comments as evidence and would take legal action where necessary.

The denial followed speculation about three other internationals, Kim Min-jae, Hwang Hee-chan and Hwang In-beom, after South Korea's October 6 friendly against Uzbekistan. Reports of possible retirement from international football developed into a separate allegation that Lee had joined those players in a group seeking to remove Son as captain.

The Black Label rejected that connection. In its statement, the agency described the allegations concerning its player as unrelated to him and without foundation.

We have confirmed the indiscriminate spread of rumors online regarding Lee Kang-in that could not be further from the truth.

The dispute involves several distinct issues: reported dissatisfaction within the national squad, uncertainty over some players' international futures, and accusations about Lee's personal involvement. The agency's statement addresses the third issue. It does not settle every question about discussions elsewhere in the squad.

What the legal warning actually says

The Black Label said its response would focus on online posts and comments spreading false allegations or potentially amounting to defamation. Its statement announced evidence collection and possible legal proceedings, rather than identifying a lawsuit already filed or a court decision already issued.

The agency explained its intended response in these terms:

Matters being discussed have nothing to do with Lee Kang-in and are groundless. We are gathering online comments and posts for spreading false rumors and possible defamation, and we will take legal action where necessary.

That wording matters. A warning of legal action is not the same as a finding that a particular person has broken the law. No defendants, filing date, hearing date or requested damages were identified in the announcement. The immediate step was to preserve evidence while deciding which cases required further action.

Retirement reports do not establish Lee's involvement

The controversy grew during South Korea's run of four international friendlies across September and October. Following the Uzbekistan match, Kim Min-jae, Hwang Hee-chan and Hwang In-beom, all born in 1996, reportedly met Korea Football Association officials.

Accounts differ over how far the retirement discussions went. One account said the three players offered to retire from international football because of frustration with the leadership group headed by Son and Lee Jae-sung. Another described speculation about a joint retirement following the meeting, while also recording Hwang In-beom's statement that he had no intention of immediately retiring from the national team.

Those versions should not be collapsed into a claim that all three had definitively quit. Hwang's position is especially relevant because it limits what can be concluded from reports of a collective retirement plan. A meeting with association officials does not, by itself, establish either a final retirement decision or the purpose of every discussion.

The allegation about Lee Kang-in went further still. A YouTube claim asserted that he had sided with the players born in 1996 to form a clique aimed at stripping Son of the captaincy. That was an accusation about Lee's conduct, not a confirmed consequence of the reported meeting. His agency expressly denied it.

Old footage and past disputes fuel online abuse

Some YouTube channels were accused of connecting old footage in misleading ways to support the ostracism narrative. As those claims circulated, abusive comments appeared on Lee's social media accounts, including comments reviving his earlier conflict with Son during the Asian Cup.

The older dispute helps explain why the new allegations drew attention, but it does not establish that Lee participated in a current campaign against Son. The central question is whether there is evidence of the conduct now alleged. The Black Label says the current claims are false and unrelated to its player.

Some supporters also urged restraint, arguing that criticism of the national team should not become a vehicle for spreading unsupported accusations. That distinction allows discussion of results, leadership and player decisions without treating an allegation about an individual as an established fact.

The agency's evidence collection covers comments as well as posts. Its warning therefore extends beyond the videos that helped spread the claims to other online statements that may repeat or add to them. The announcement did not identify specific accounts selected for legal proceedings.

A free kick shows cooperation on the pitch

One concrete moment from the Uzbekistan friendly offers a different picture from the online claims. Lee and Son stood together over a free kick before South Korea's opening goal. Lee suggested a low shot, and Son scored with a low, powerful strike.

The exchange is a specific example of the two players working together during the match. Lee contributed a suggestion about how to take the kick, and Son executed the shot. It is more directly observable than speculation about private conversations or supposed factions.

It also has limits as evidence. A successful passage of play cannot establish everything about relationships inside a squad. Equally, it should not be ignored when describing a claim that the players are acting against one another. The sequence demonstrates cooperation at that moment, without resolving every question about the wider national team dispute.

The distinction is useful throughout this controversy: the goal is a match event, the retirement discussions are reported developments with differing accounts, and the claim that Lee organized Son's exclusion is an allegation his agency denies.

How the controversy developed

The sequence runs from a broader period of national team speculation to a specific denial from Lee's representatives. A separate interview praising his footballing ability appeared just before the agency's statement.

• September and October: South Korea played a series of four international friendlies amid reports of discord and possible joint retirement by some players.
• October 6: After the Uzbekistan friendly, Kim Min-jae, Hwang Hee-chan and Hwang In-beom reportedly met Korea Football Association officials. Retirement speculation followed.
• After the match: Online allegations linked Lee to a group supposedly seeking Son's removal as captain. Abusive comments appeared on Lee's social media.
• October 12, local time: Former Manchester United midfielder Park Ji-sung discussed Lee's ability and career prospects in an interview.
• October 13: The Black Label denied the allegations and announced that it was collecting evidence for possible legal action.
• October 14, at 4 a.m. Korea time: Reports listed Atletico Madrid's Champions League match against Manchester United as Lee's next scheduled club fixture.

The October 13 announcement supplied no deadline for completing the evidence review. Any later filing or disciplinary development would need to be distinguished from the warning itself.

Park Ji-sung's praise focuses on Lee's football

While the allegations concerned national team relationships, Park Ji-sung's comments focused on Lee's technical ability and professional development. The former Manchester United midfielder described Lee as the most technically gifted player South Korea had produced and said he had the potential to become a player of world class standing.

Park recalled first meeting Lee when Lee was six, during an advertisement shoot that recreated Park's goal against Portugal at the 2002 World Cup. He said the young player's potential had exceeded his expectations even then, and described following his growth into a leading Korean footballer.

Park also supported Lee's reported move to Atletico Madrid after winning the Champions League with Paris Saint-Germain. He presented the return to Spain's La Liga as the possible beginning of a larger step in Lee's career, rather than treating quick adaptation as a surprise.

His comments connected the expectations associated with Antoine Griezmann's No. 7 shirt to Lee's potential. Park pointed to Son's achievement as a Premier League top scorer as an example of the level a Korean player could reach. He finished with a lighthearted expression of divided loyalties, backing Lee to display his ability while hoping his former club Manchester United would win.

Those remarks were an assessment of Lee as a footballer. They should not be read as a response to the ostracism allegations or as evidence about national team discussions.

Club expectations and unresolved questions

The club preview accompanying Park's comments described Atletico as seeking a home win after a 2-1 defeat away to Liverpool in its opening Champions League match. It listed the Manchester United fixture at Madrid's Riyadh Air Metropolitano for October 14 at 4 a.m. Korea time.

Lee was expected to start after appearing as a substitute against Alaves at the weekend. He reportedly created three chances in 33 minutes, providing the immediate footballing basis for that expectation. Creating a chance means supplying a pass that leads to a teammate's attempt at goal; it does not necessarily mean an assist or a goal.

The expectation of a starting place was a preview assessment, not a confirmed lineup. Likewise, Park's praise described potential rather than guaranteeing a particular performance or career outcome.

On the national team issue, the unresolved points are more specific. The agency did not disclose which posts would trigger proceedings, and the differing retirement accounts do not establish a final collective decision by the three players. Hwang In-beom's stated lack of an immediate intention to retire remains an important qualification.

The firm development is Lee's agency response: it denies his involvement in the alleged campaign against Son and says it is preserving evidence for possible legal action. That denial should be kept separate from speculation about other players and from expectations surrounding his next club appearance.

Key Points

• The Black Label said on October 13 that allegations linking Lee Kang-in to Son Heung-min's ostracism were false and unrelated to Lee.
• The agency is collecting online posts and comments and warned of legal action where necessary.
• Reports differ on whether three other internationals offered to retire or were the subject of retirement speculation.
• Hwang In-beom said he had no intention of immediately retiring from the national team.
• Lee and Son cooperated over a free kick that produced a goal against Uzbekistan.
• Park Ji-sung praised Lee's technical ability and career potential, without addressing the allegations.
• No lawsuit filing date, hearing date or confirmed defendants were identified in the agency's announcement.