Official apology two days later… Jeonnam Dragons player who bullied teammates leaves club; league considers disciplinary committee

Jeonnam Dragons admitted in an SNS apology on the 22nd to drinking and bullying within the squad. The player responsible has already left the club, and the Korea Professional Football League is reviewing whether to convene a disciplinary committee.

Translated from Korean with AI assistance. Read the original. Sources and original publication dates are retained.

Three-line summary

On October 22, Jeonnam Dragons admitted in an apology posted on the club's SNS to drinking by some players and bullying among players.
On October 20, Sports Donga reported that a player who repeatedly bullied a junior and assaulted them after drinking had left the team.
The Korea Professional Football League requested a fact-finding statement and is reviewing whether to convene a disciplinary committee (as of 10.22, 17:00).

Around 2 p.m. on October 20, a Sports Donga article was published. It said a Jeonnam Dragons player had repeatedly bullied a junior teammate and even assaulted them after drinking. That player had already left the team. The club's official apology came two days later, on the 22nd.

Jeonnam Dragons apology: what it admitted was 'drinking' and 'bullying'

Ilgan SportsAccording to the report, Jeonnam posted an apology on its club SNS on the 22nd. The club officially acknowledged two things. drinking by some playersand bullying among players. The apology also included this line: "After establishing the facts, the club immediately dismissed those involved to make an example of them."

A same-day Newsis report reprint also has the same content. However, none of the reports covering the apology say when the assault took place or when the actual dismissal was processed. The word 'immediately' is the only timing given; no dates appear. That is why the 22nd should not be read as the date of the incident or the dismissal.

From the October 20 report to the apology: the two-day timeline

What was reported at each point in time

Report date/time	Outlet	Content reported
10.20 14:00	Sports Donga	Face-to-face questioning and separation; offending player dismissed; repeated bullying and assault after drinking
10.22 15:00	Ilgan Sports	Club SNS apology; drinking and bullying admitted; those involved dismissed
10.22 15:00	Ilgan Sports	League requests fact-finding statement, reviewing whether to convene disciplinary committee; announced plans to strengthen management and education

Sports Donga reported on the 20th that the club held face-to-face questioning of those involved, separated them, and then dismissed the offending player. This questioning and separation process has not been cross-confirmed by other outlets. In the same report, a club official said, "Regardless of the degree or number of assaults, physical aggression is unacceptable under any circumstances."

The order in which this became public was: dismissal, media report, then official apology. The club's action came first, and fans first learned of it through news articles. The specific number of bullying incidents and the current condition of the victim are not confirmed in any published report. No separate information has been made public on how the victim is being protected after the separation.

Separate from dismissal, review of referral to the league's disciplinary committee

Leaving the team does not end the matter. Dismissal is the club's action; the disciplinary committee is the league's procedure. Ilgan Sports and the Newsis reprint report that the Korea Professional Football League has asked the club to submit a fact-finding statement and is reviewing whether to convene a disciplinary committee. As of 2026.10.22, 17:00, no decision on whether to convene one and no sanction had been reported.

Measures to prevent recurrence: strengthening squad management and character education

According to the apology reported by Ilgan Sports, the measure the club offered to prevent recurrence is strengthening squad management and the character-education system. The report does not say how often or in what format the education will be given. To judge its effectiveness, the club's next concrete plan needs to be reviewed.

The main open variables lie with the league. It has not yet decided whether to hold a disciplinary committee or, if it does, what sanctions it would impose. The dates of the assault and of the actual dismissal have also not been confirmed. The apology was verified through reports quoting it, not the club's original SNS post, and the Newsis article is based on a reprinted version. The players involved were anonymized in all reports.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Who is the player who left Jeonnam Dragons?

The player was anonymized in all confirmed reports. The club also referred only to "those involved" in its apology.

Q. Has the Jeonnam Dragons disciplinary committee been convened?

As of October 22, 2026, 17:00, no hearing had been held. The Korea Professional Football League requested a fact-finding statement from the club and was reported to be reviewing whether to convene a disciplinary committee.

Q. What did the club acknowledge in its apology?

That some players had drunk alcohol and bullied one another, and that those involved had been dismissed from the team. It also said it would strengthen squad management and character-education systems to prevent recurrence.

Related Official Websites

Jeonnam Dragons official website — check club notices and follow-up announcements
K League official website — check Korea Professional Football League disciplinary committee notices

Representative image · Archival photo · Not an on-site photo of the match in the article · Photo composite · Photo=Wikimedia Commons(Mwollohalkka), CC BY-SA 4.0 · Photo=Wikimedia Commons(WAKA77), Public domain