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Mexican man apologizes for racist gesture towards South Korean influencer at World Cup match, resigns from post
🇲🇽 Mexico /Sports

Mexican man apologizes for racist gesture towards South Korean influencer at World Cup match, resigns from post

From El Universal · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • A Mexican man has been accused of making a racist gesture towards a South Korean influencer during a World Cup match in Guadalajara.
  • The influencer, Yoon Su-jin (Ino Cat), shared a video of the incident on Instagram, sparking online outrage.
  • The accused, Ulises Fernando Bernal Miramontes, has publicly apologized and resigned from his position as president of the College of Surveying and Geomatics Engineers of Jalisco.

A World Cup match between South Korea and the Czech Republic in Guadalajara has become the center of a racism controversy. South Korean influencer Yoon Su-jin, widely known as Ino Cat, reported experiencing a discriminatory act from a Mexican fan seated behind her at the Estadio Akron.

You traveled all over the world to attend the World Cup... and experienced racism.

— Yoon Su-jin (Ino Cat)The South Korean influencer shared this statement along with a video of the incident on her Instagram.

Ino Cat shared a video on her official Instagram profile that captured the moment the fan, identified as Ulises Fernando Bernal Miramontes, made a racist gesture by stretching his eyes. The influencer, visibly uncomfortable, documented the incident, stating, "You traveled all over the world to attend the World Cup... and experienced racism."

I am very sorry for perpetrating that action.

— Ulises Fernando Bernal MiramontesThe Mexican fan apologized publicly in a video after the incident went viral.

The video quickly went viral, igniting widespread indignation among internet users who identified Bernal Miramontes as the president of the College of Surveying and Geomatics Engineers of Jalisco. Following the backlash, Bernal Miramontes released a public apology video.

Whenever a foreigner comes to Mexico, we want them to feel at home, and I did the exact opposite.

— Ulises Fernando Bernal MiramontesBernal explained his regret in his public apology video.

In his apology, Bernal expressed deep regret for his actions, acknowledging that he made a gesture inappropriate for a host country aiming to welcome foreigners. He extended his apologies not only to Ino Cat but also to the entire Korean community and any Mexicans offended by his behavior. Furthermore, Bernal announced his immediate resignation from his leadership role at the College of Engineers, seeking to distance the institution from his conduct.

Today, in the morning, I also submitted my resignation from the College of Engineers that I represented, because I also want to disassociate the institution from my actions.

— Ulises Fernando Bernal MiramontesBernal announced his resignation from his professional position following the controversy.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by El Universal in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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