South Korean influencer @inocat_t posts a video on Instagram on June 12, where she was filming herself during a World Cup game when a man seated behind her made a slant-eye gesture to her. Photo: Screenshot from @inocat_t’s Instagram account

Ulises Fernando Bernal Miramontes, the president of a Mexican engineering guild, has been dismissed from his position after making a slant-eye gesture interpreted as racial discrimination behind a South Korean influencer at a 2026 FIFA World Cup match. He issued a public apology in English and Spanish on Sunday local time for his controversial behavior, according to media reports.  

Bernal, president of the Jalisco Association of Surveyors and Geomatics Engineers (CITGEJ) in Mexico, said in a bilingual post in English and Spanish that “Over the past few days, a video has circulated online and generated a wide range of reactions. For that reason, I believe it is important to make a public apology.”

CITGEJ said in a statement on Saturday that the organization “deeply regreted” at the incident and it had launched an internal review before confirming his removal from post. 

The incident occurred on June 11 when Inonyang, a South Korean YouTuber, with 9 million followers across social media platforms such as TikTok and YouTube, was filming a video capturing the excitement following the South Korean national team’s victory in the first group stage match against the Czech Republic at the North American World Cup, held at Guadalajara Stadium in Zapopan, Mexico, asiae.co.kr reported. 

The video captured the man sitting behind Inonyang, later identified as Bernal, made mocking gestures toward the camera, including the "slant-eye" gesture while laughing. The "slant-eye" gesture is considered one of the most typical acts of racial discrimination against East Asians. The video also recorded the moment when Inonyang, subjected to the racist act, stared at the camera with a tense expression, according to asiae.co.kr. 

Inonyang wrote a caption accompanying her video: “You traveled across the world for the World Cup … And experienced racism…”

Bernal’s acts drew strong condemnation after the video was posted, and some Mexican netizens commented, "As a fellow Mexican, I am ashamed," "I apologize on his behalf," and "He should step down from the presidency," The Asia Business Daily reported. 

Global Times