Korean soccer star Lee Kang-in, 18, might have embarked on a new relationship, considering subtle moves he has made on Instagram in recent days. The guesswork has prompted some fans to call for an explanation from Lee.

In an online community here, speculations surfaced that Lee could be dating a woman who is two years older than the teen prospect. The only purported evidence so far is that Lee’s official Instagram account started following a private account, believed to belong to the mysterious woman, on Saturday. 

With confirmation nowhere to be found yet, Lee’s fans at DC Inside, a major internet forum whose members remain largely anonymous, issued a playful statement Monday calling on Lee to answer the circulating rumor.

“The fans have hopes high on Lee, who is expected to follow in the steps of many soccer legends including Cha Bum-kun, Park Ji-sung and Song Heung-min, and this year is undoubtedly an imperative period for Lee as a soccer player,” the statement read, adopting an overtly serious tone that comes off as a joke. “However, Lee’s continuous pictorial shoots and burst of ‘love-stagram incidents’ are making fans worry he is losing his essence as a soccer player.”

The 18-year-old midfielder became known to the wider public after he received the Golden Ball award at the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup. Lee joined Valencia CF’s academy in 2011 and made his first team debut last month.



By Choi Ji-won (jwc@heraldcorp.com)