Vietnam Calls Him “Teacher Park.” A Crowd in Pattaya Called Him “Kimchi Man.”

Featured photo: Park Hang-seo. Photo: DangTungDuong at Vietnamese Wikipedia, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0.

Park Hang-seo, the coach who took Vietnamese football to its first-ever World Cup final qualifying round, was taunted as “Kimchi Man” at a stadium in Thailand’s second division. He didn’t let it slide. He shot back with a “come down here,” and within a day the president of the Football Association of Thailand personally ordered an investigation.

Honestly, as a fan who watched “Park Hang-seo magic” turn the streets of Hanoi red in the winter of 2018, the video hurt me before it angered me. Then what happened next lifted me up again, because Thailand and Vietnam stood by him with one voice.

From “Kimchi Man” to “come down here”: 15 seconds

November 1, Nongprue Stadium in Pattaya, Chonburi Province, Thailand. Park’s Kanchanaburi Power FC drew 2–2 away at Pattaya United in round 9 of Thai League 2, the second division (Best Eleven). As he headed for the locker room, “Kimchi Man,” mixed with curses, came at him again and again from the stands. Local media reported that it appeared to come from two Western fans in Pattaya jerseys (SBS, Hankyoreh). The same spectators also hurled insults about height and the word “monkey” at Kanchanaburi’s John Baggio, who had scored the opening goal that day (VnExpress).

Kimchi is Korea’s signature dish, and “Kimchi Man” is a racial slur that reduces a Korean person to that food.

At first Park only put his index finger to his lips: be quiet. When the taunts didn’t stop, he raised a fist, and on his way to the locker room he turned back and waved at the stands to come down and talk. His goalkeeper, club staff and security held him back and led him to the locker room (Hankyoreh, SBS). JTBC News’ video of the scene passed 1 million views 17 hours after it went up (YouTube, checked November 3).

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Thailand took his side first

His Thai club moved first. In a Facebook statement the next day, Kanchanaburi wrote, “Everyone, no matter who they are, where they come from, what color their skin is or what they eat, is precious and deserves respect” (Herald Economy, Hankyoreh). That one phrase, “what they eat,” was the exact answer to “Kimchi Man.”

The Football Association of Thailand (FAT) also issued a statement opposing “all forms of ethnic discrimination, whether in the stadium, around it or on social media.” President Nualphan Lamsam, known as “Madam Pang,” personally ordered evidence gathered and disciplinary action reviewed. If the claims are confirmed, Pattaya United could face a fine and even penalties like a ban on hosting home matches (Best Eleven, citing Siam Sport). Under FAT rules, racist abuse by spectators can bring a club fine of up to 30,000 baht (about $900), or 40,000 baht (about $1,200) if a group is involved, and matches behind closed doors are possible depending on the case (same article).

Park’s management agency, DJ Management, also asked Thai football authorities for a thorough investigation and measures to protect coaches and players from discrimination (Xports News).

The man Vietnam calls “Teacher”

The scene shook all of Southeast Asia because of the name Park Hang-seo. He coached Vietnam’s national team from 2017 to 2023, winning the 2018 AFF Championship, finishing runner-up at the 2018 AFC U-23 Championship, taking two straight Southeast Asian Games gold medals and leading Vietnam into the World Cup Asian final qualifying round for the first time in its history (Hankyoreh). Vietnamese people call him “Thầy Park,” Teacher Park.

So the Vietnamese press moved within hours. Tuổi Trẻ posted a video early on November 2 of Park “furious as a Thai fan uses kimchi to insult him,” and VnExpress, Thanh Niên, Dân Trí and VietNamNet followed through to Madam Pang’s investigation order (Google News Vietnamese edition, checked November 3). Vietnamese fans condemned the Pattaya fans online too (Sports Chosun).

It isn’t the first time Park has been mocked in Thai football. After a 2019 World Cup qualifier against Thailand, the Thai national team’s goalkeeper coach made what looked like a gesture mocking Park’s height in front of him, and the Vietnam Football Federation filed a complaint with the AFC. The FAT sent the coach to its disciplinary committee and then fired him (Herald Economy). Seven years ago as Vietnam’s coach, and now as a Thai club’s coach, Thai football chose to protect Park both times.

Why he started over in the second division at 69

This summer, three years after leaving Vietnam’s national team in 2023, Park signed a two-year deal with Kanchanaburi, a team relegated after finishing last in Thailand’s top flight last season (Hankyoreh). He said “the club’s long-term vision and sincerity about football woke up my fighting spirit” (same article). The club’s goal goes beyond promotion: to compete with Thai powerhouse Buriram United within five years (Xports News).

The road isn’t smooth. After nine rounds, Kanchanaburi is sixth with 3 wins, 5 draws and 1 loss for 14 points, while leader Khon Kaen United has 21 (VnExpress). Every time a call felt unfair, he stood up and fought in front of his players, and that passion has made headlines in Thailand. Of that coach, club chairman Prawat Kittamkunnit wrote on Facebook: “Even if we don’t get promoted this year, I have absolutely no intention of firing Coach Park. Kanchanaburi enjoys creating, nurturing and waiting” (Xports News).

What made him “Teacher Park” in Vietnam was the same hot temper that fights first, in front of his players. On the night of November 1, when he waved at the stands, behind him stood a player who had heard the same “too short” taunts. There are plenty of matches left before promotion, and I’m waiting to see him back at the touchline next game.

Sources

• Best Eleven, November 2, 2026: FAT orders investigation
• Hankyoreh, November 2, 2026
• Herald Economy, November 2, 2026
• SBS, November 2, 2026, JTBC, November 2, 2026
• Xports News, November 2, 2026
• Sports Chosun, November 2, 2026
• VnExpress, November 2, 2026
• Tuổi Trẻ, November 2, 2026
• JTBC News on YouTube (views checked 4 a.m. KST, November 3, 2026)