Changwon NC Park on the 27th. When a reporter entered the stadium around 1:30 p.m. to cover the baseball game between the LG Twins and NC Dinos at 5 p.m., he saw a different scene than usual. Stadium officials were talking to detectives, and the atmosphere seemed a bit chaotic.
카지노사이트Before the pre-match briefing by LG coach Yoon Kyung-yup, the reporter learned from an official that referee Yoon Sang-won, who was scheduled to officiate in the game, would not be on the field. At the time, he was not told the exact reason.
The reason was revealed a short time later. The umpire had received a terrorist threat online. He was the second base umpire at the LG-NC game at the same venue the previous day (26th).
Detectives patrolling Changwon NC Park. Photo (Changwon)=Reporter Lee Han-joo
In that game, umpire Yoon Sang-won was unable to avoid Park Gun-woo’s grounder to first base in the bottom of the ninth inning with LG leading 5-3. Under the rule that an infield hit is an infield hit if the ball touches the umpire before the fielder, and LG then gave up RBI singles to Jason Martin and Kwon Hee-dong for a game-tying three-run homer to fall to 5-7.
Even when the replay was zoomed in, the ball clearly appeared to have grazed Yoon’s foot. While it was unfortunate that the ball was not perfectly avoided, the umpires, including Yoon, handled the situation according to the rules, so there was nothing wrong with what happened afterward. However, LG fans were left furious that a game they thought they should have won ended in defeat. It was a situation that could have been avoided.
Umpire Yoon Sang-won is hit in the foot by NC’s Park Gun-woo in the 26th game. Photo captured from the game broadcast
However, there was a problem with the ‘crossing the line’ behavior of some unaware fans. They threatened Yoon and his family online.
The aftermath was devastating, and the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) umpire committee did not allow Yoon to work the game, just in case. Four detectives from the Masan East Police Station continued to patrol the dugout and the stands.
One of the reasons why this incident in particular cannot be ignored is that random terrorist threats have become a major problem in South Korea in recent years. Predictions of murder and other heinous crimes have been trending online, and they are clearly not just pranks, but anti-social crimes.
In the past five days, stabbing threats have been posted at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan and Samsung Lions Park in Daegu. Luckily, it didn’t come to pass, but it did create tension in the stadiums, and police officers on patrol had to sweat in the heat.
Umpire Yoon, the “victim” of the incident, is also reportedly having a tough time. “The police contacted me and asked me to give them all my family contacts, including my parents,” Heo told MK Sports on the 28th, adding, “I can’t imagine what it’s like to experience something like that in today’s vicious social atmosphere. It’s not wrong to call it what it is. The part that can be criticized as an obvious error should be criticized rightfully. But to be threatened like this, talking about your family, is too traumatizing for judges,” he sighed.
The government and the police have been increasingly cracking down on this kind of behavior, but it’s still not effective. A stronger mace is needed to stop this epidemic from spreading like wildfire.
Given that it’s a small minority of extreme fans who are responsible for this kind of behavior in sports, it’s essential that clubs take action. A good example is the lifetime ban imposed by Manchester United on Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur) in the English Premier League (PL) in April 2021 after he was subjected to racist abuse on social media by Manchester United fans.
And while the vast majority of fans are not, the perception of a few misguided individuals needs to change. Of course, the importance of fans in professional sports is vital. However, there are certain behaviors that are unacceptable, even for fans. Fans should treat players and on-field officials with respect and decency.
This was a highly publicized incident in a toxic social climate. Hopefully, it will never happen again in sports.