On June 15, 2026, Korean media outlet Newsis reported that a Mexican man, who received criticism as racial discrimination for making a 'slant-eye' gesture towards a Korean person at the venue of the World Cup (WC) North America tournament, publicly apologized and resigned from his position as chairman of his affiliated organization.

According to the article, the incident in question occurred on the 12th (Japan time) during the match between South Korea and the Czech Republic, which took place at Estadio Akron in Guadalajara, Mexico. A man sitting behind a Korean influencer who was watching the game at the venue showed a gesture of pulling his eyes sideways with both hands, and the scene was captured in an SNS video.

The Korean influencer who published the video posted, 'I have visited various parts of the world to watch the World Cup, but I encountered racial discrimination.' The video spread, and the man's identity was confirmed. The man was Mr. Ulises Bernal, who served as the president of the College of Topographic, Geodetic, and Geographic Engineers of Jalisco (CITGEJ), Mexico.

As criticism spread, he posted an apology video on social media. He stated, 'I wish for foreigners visiting Mexico to feel as comfortable as if they were in their own homes, but I acted in the opposite way,' and expressed, 'I apologize to the Korean person I hurt with my inappropriate actions.'

Furthermore, he said, 'I also apologize to Korean society, the foreign community, and all Mexican citizens who do not agree with my actions,' and announced his resignation from the association's chairmanship. He explained, 'This incident was entirely due to my personal actions and has no connection to the organization. I take full responsibility.'

He also contacted the Korean influencer who was victimized and is discussing ways to meet in person and apologize.

Regarding this, Korean netizens commented with remarks such as: 'Why would someone do such a thing?', 'To deliberately mock someone in a place where everyone is having fun? It's not funny at all and I can't understand it.', 'These kinds of people don't even realize that spectators from all over the world are visiting for the World Cup and that their actions are being watched by others.', 'It's not just discrimination against Koreans, but against all Asians.', and 'They should remember that in the age of SNS, even a momentary action in a stadium can spread worldwide.'

On the other hand, there were also comments such as, 'I appreciate that he apologized instead of running away after the problem occurred,' 'The content of the apology also feels sincere,' 'What left a strong impression was that the Mexican people were more angered by this incident than the Koreans,' 'Honestly, I was surprised by how quickly he responded with an apology,' and 'I think it's now up to the person who was victimized to forgive him.' (Translation and editing by Higuchi)

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— RRT(라미 구조대) (@kingwest0219) June 14, 2026