London (Reuters)
Former South Korea midfielder Park Ji-sung has appealed to Manchester United fans to stop chanting a song about him that contains a negative stereotype about his country. “During his time in the stadiums with “United”.
Park played more than 200 games for United between 2005 and 2012, and helped the team win four Premier League titles and the Champions League title in 2008.
Park said he was forced to make this appeal, after United fans heard the song chanting last August at Molino Stadium, when Wolverhampton Wanderers revealed their new player Hwang Hee-chan from South Korea.
“I know that United fans do not mean any offense to me with this song, but it is my duty to educate the fans to stop repeating these words, which currently represent a racist insult to the Korean people,” Park, who retired in 2014, told the club’s website.
He added, “I was very embarrassed and very upset when hearing this song ten years ago, and things have changed a lot in South Korea. It is true that historically we ate dog meat, but these days, especially the younger generation, they don’t really like it. They hear this song.
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