K-pop Le Sserafim’s Yunjin under fire for dig at Lionel Messi
SEOUL – K-pop girl group Le Sserafim’s Yunjin has come under fire from netizens over a comment she made about Argentine football player Lionel Messi.
On South Korean fan platform Weverse, an account posing as the legendary player – using his name and a photo of him as his profile picture – wrote to Yunjin: “If you comment, I’ll stop playing soccer.”
Yunjin, 21, who made her debut with the popular five-member group in May 2022, later commented: “I should’ve replied a few months earlier.”
Her joking remark did not sit well with football fans as it seemed to refer to the football captain leading Argentina to World Cup victory in December 2022 against France.
Some netizens took offence on behalf of Messi, 35, considered one of the top footballers in the world. He had won the Golden Ball award, given to the World Cup’s best player.
Others defended her comment, saying it was clearly meant as a joke and were baffled by the outrage.
Meanwhile, Yunjin has quietly deleted the divisive comment.
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