Kwon Soon-woo Loses Partner Amid 'Bad Manners Controversy' After Throwing Racket

Yubin and [Partner] Break Up After 5 Months

Tennis player Kwon Soon-woo (26, Dangjin City Hall), who caused controversy for unsportsmanlike behavior after a loss at the recent Asian Games, and singer Yubin (35), formerly of the group Wonder Girls, have broken up after five months of public dating.

Kwon Soon-woo, a member of the tennis team representing Korea at the Hangzhou Asian Games, is being interviewed by the press on the 20th before departing for China through Incheon International Airport.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

A representative from Yubin's agency, L Entertainment, confirmed their breakup on the 5th, stating they "support each other."

Earlier, in May, Kwon Soon-woo and Yubin had acknowledged their relationship, saying they were "continuing to see each other with good feelings."

Kwon Soon-woo also mentioned on his departure for the Hangzhou Asian Games on the 20th of last month, "My girlfriend (Yubin) cheered for me a lot."

However, rumors of their breakup surfaced after Yubin recently deleted all photos with Kwon Soon-woo from her social media. The fact that both unfollowed each other's accounts added weight to the breakup speculation.

Yubin, former member of Wonder Girls [Photo by Yonhap News]

Afterward, Kwon Soon-woo won a bronze medal in men's doubles tennis at this Asian Games but came under fire for his rough manners during a singles match on the 25th of last month.

At that time, world-ranked 112th Kwon Soon-woo lost in the second round of the men's singles at the Asian Games to Kasidit Samrej (22, Thailand, world rank 636). After the match, he smashed his racket on the court and chair, breaking it completely, and refused to shake hands with his opponent before leaving.

Foreign media also criticized Kwon Soon-woo's unsportsmanlike conduct. Hong Kong's South China Morning Post reported, "Kwon Soon-woo smashed his racket hard on the court after losing to a player ranked more than 500 places below him." It added, "He hit the chair with the racket," and "When Samrej approached to shake hands, Kwon ignored him and did not even look at him. Samrej only greeted the audience."

Following this, some netizens flooded Yubin's Instagram with comments such as "Have a safe breakup" and "Your boyfriend seems like a strange person. Run away."

On the 26th of last month, Kwon Soon-woo apologized to tennis fans in a handwritten letter. He wrote, "Immediately after the end of the second-round singles match against Samrej at the Asian Games, I acted rashly in a way I should not have as a national representative player." He continued, "I sincerely apologize to all the citizens who support the national team matches and the spectators at the venue. I am sorry."

However, there were also claims that the unsportsmanlike behavior by Kwon Soon-woo was provoked by Samrej's own misconduct. It was said that Samrej deliberately delayed and interrupted the match multiple times and behaved in a way that seemed to provoke Kwon Soon-woo.