[Sportschosun Reporter Kim Jun-seok] As the South Korea national football team failed to advance to the round of 32 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, broadcaster Jonathan, who was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, was hit by excessive abusive comments from some internet users.
On the 28th, the Democratic Republic of the Congo defeated Uzbekistan 3-1 in the final Group K match, ending South Korea's hopes of reaching the round of 32. South Korea fell short in the ranking race among third-place teams and failed to make the knockout stage.
The problem was that the frustration over the elimination was directed at the wrong target. Right after the match, some users visited Jonathan's social networking service account and left abusive comments.
They lashed out at Jonathan over a result that had nothing to do with him, posting comments such as, "Aren't you going to issue an apology?", "Go make money in Congo," "Your country is why Korea lost," and "Deport him."
In response, other users criticized the trolls, saying, "Why are you doing this to Jonathan?", "You're blaming the wrong person," "It's embarrassing to be Korean," and "It makes no sense to pin a football result on one individual."
Jonathan entered South Korea with his family in 2008 as a refugee and settled there.
He later became known through KBS's "Screening Humanity - The Congo Prince Family" in 2013 and is now active in a variety of entertainment programs and YouTube content.
In particular, Jonathan recently said he was preparing to become a naturalized Korean citizen.
He said much of the naturalization process had already been completed, adding, "I have finished all the preparations I can and am waiting for the result."
As abusive comments continued, shifting blame for the World Cup elimination onto Jonathan, who has spent many years growing up and working in Korea, calls are growing online to stop racist attacks and indiscriminate scapegoating.
narusi@sportschosun.com
