A Mexican man publicly apologized after a South Korean female influencer posted a clip showing him sitting behind her deliberately making a slant-eyed gesture to mock and racially insult Asians, then laughing gleefully during the World Cup match. Meanwhile, his employer immediately dismissed him from his position as president of the engineering association.
The incident occurred during the World Cup match between South Korea and the Czech Republic held in Guadalajara, Mexico. In that game, South Korea managed a comeback to win 2-1.
Yoon Soo-jin, also known as Ino Cat, a South Korean content creator and influencer with over 6.6 million YouTube followers and more than 2 million TikTok followers, posted the video on Instagram with the caption, "You travel across the world to watch the World Cup... but face racial discrimination..."
The clip shows a man later identified as Ulises Fernando Bernal Miramontes sitting behind her, deliberately pulling his eyes into slants with his fingers—a widely recognized gesture that expresses severe contempt and racial mockery of East Asians—before laughing as if it were a joke.
After the clip went viral, there was a rapid uproar online, with over 120,000 shares and reposts and more than 65,000 comments. Many internet users, including numerous Mexicans, expressed disgust at his behavior, apologizing on behalf of Mexico and emphasizing that "this man does not represent all Mexicans."
The racist behavior had serious career consequences for Bernal. The College of Geoinformatics and Surveying Engineering of Jalisco State (CITGEJ) told the New York Post that Bernal has been removed from his position as president of the association to take responsibility for the incident.
In response to the backlash, Bernal posted a public apology acknowledging that the video had been widely circulated and generated significant negative reactions. "For these reasons, I believe it is important to apologize publicly. I deeply regret everything that happened in this situation. I have reflected on the events and understand the responsibility I now face."
He added that he would not make excuses or reinterpret the incident to defend himself. He affirmed that throughout his personal and professional life, he has sought to treat others with respect and is committed to improving his behavior to reflect those values going forward.
,BBC