GUADALAJARA, Mexico (AP) — South Korea’s preparations for Thursday’s World Cup match against Mexico have been overshadowed by a rift between the players and the country's media following disparaging comments about captain Son Heung-min.
The spat reportedly led to the resignation of one of the team’s media officers on Tuesday. The national team has yet to confirm the resignation, which has been reported by some of the media covering the South Korean squad in Guadalajara.
Access for the media had apparently been cut off after the comments against Son were caught on camera. Players reportedly refrained from speaking to South Korean media outside official World Cup commitments, and scheduled interviews with players were canceled.
Mexican media said there was a meeting between the team's media officers and the South Korean media to discuss the incident.
There was no media access scheduled on Tuesday. The pre-match news conference is scheduled for Wednesday.
The South Korean soccer association said it regretted “the inappropriate remarks made by some media personnel during the national football team’s training at the Guadalajara base camp.” The organization added the comments caused “great shock and disappointment” within the squad.
The incident occurred during an open training session on June 7, days before South Korea beat the Czech Republic 2-1 in its first World Cup match.
The 33-year-old Son, running with teammates, was mocked by unidentified media personnel over his military record in footage recorded by broadcaster JTBC, South Korea’s official rights holder for the tournament. The video was later leaked, prompting a strong reaction on social media.
By helping South Korea win gold at the 2018 Asian Games, Son earned an exemption from the mandatory 21-month military service required of able-bodied men.
Son later completed alternative duties, including a three-week military training course in 2020 and community service.
The federation said in Monday's statement that it “will continue to prioritize the protection of the squad and strive to create a healthy media environment.”
Son, who left Tottenham for Los Angeles FC a year ago, missed chances in the victory over the Czech Republic, with Hwang In-beom and Oh Hyeon-gyu scoring in Guadalajara.
South Korea plays again in Guadalajara on Thursday when it faces Mexico in Group A.
Duerden reported from London.
AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup
South Korea's Son Heung-min reacts during the World Cup Group A soccer match against Czechia in Zapopan, near Guadalajara, Mexico, Thursday, June 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)
South Korea's Son Heung-min, left, shoots on goal against Czechia's Ladislav Krejci during the World Cup Group A soccer match between South Korea and Czechia in Zapopan, near Guadalajara, Mexico, Thursday, June 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
South Korea's Son Heung-min reacts during the World Cup Group A soccer match between South Korea and Czechia in Zapopan, near Guadalajara, Mexico, Thursday, June 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Federal prosecutors have charged 15 people with impeding the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in Minnesota earlier this year, accusing them of coordinating efforts to block deportations as part of a conspiracy against the U.S. government.
During a news conference Tuesday, Minnesota U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen said the monthslong investigation focused on two activist groups whose members and associates “violently opposed the enforcement of federal law."
He characterized the groups as “antifa,” an umbrella term for a diffuse movement of militant left-wing activists.
Information for the defendants' attorneys was not immediately available.
The indictment comes as the Trump administration continues to target protesters associated with “antifa,” which he has labeled a domestic terrorist group.
In March, eight people accused of having ties to antifa were convicted on terrorism charges in a Texas shooting, a first of its kind case that raised concerns among some civil liberties groups.
The 15 people charged Tuesday were part of “Direct Action Minnesota,” a left-wing coalition of protest groups that trains its members in the “surveillance, operational planning and rapid mobilization against law enforcement,” Rosen said.
Their alleged actions include “stalking” U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents, throwing blocks of ice at their vehicles, setting up blockades around federal buildings and passing out shields to demonstrators. Rosen declined to say whether any federal agents were injured as a result.
“Whether or not they actually, at the end of the day, cause bodily harm is not the measure of whether or not they committed a serious federal crime,” he told reporters.
Asked about the Justice Department's definition of "antifa,” Rosen said the question was “beyond the scope” of the indictment, but noted that several defendants had self-identified with the label.
On Tuesday afternoon, dozens of protesters gathered outside a federal courthouse in St. Paul, where most of the defendants were set to make an initial appearance. As some in the crowd attempted to block a courthouse door, federal officers in tactical gear deployed pepper spray at the group.
Each of the defendants was charged with conspiracy to impede or injury a federal officer, which carries a maximum sentence of six years in prison. Three others faced additional charges, including interstate stalking, assault on a federal officer and destruction government property.
One of the defendants, Kyle Wagner, 37, was previously arrested on charges that he made online threats against ICE officers and their supporters. An attorney listed for Wagner in that case did not respond to a message seeking comment.
The alleged conspiracy began in January, shortly after the Trump administration launched its sweeping immigration crackdown, dubbed Operation Metro Surge, in response to reports of fraud within Minnesota's Somali community.
The operation — described by the Department of Homeland Security as the largest in its history — brought thousands of federal agents, who often wore masks and traveled in unmarked SUVs, into the Twin Cities and surrounding areas.
Their arrival drew fierce protests from Minnesota residents, who quickly set up a sprawling network of anonymous Signal chats to track the movement of ICE agents. Protesters then used whistles and car horns to draw attention to detentions as they were happening.
Despite the intense pushback, federal prosecutors said the operation resulted in more than 4,000 arrests.
The administration framed the operation as a response to a burgeoning federal investigation into billions of dollars in fraud within Minnesota programs tied to Medicaid. Dozens of Somali immigrants have been convicted or implicated. Trump has called the state’s Somali population “garbage.”
Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey sought to defend the Somali population and condemned Trump for sending federal officers where they weren’t needed or wanted.
In the months since, federal authorities have sought to prosecute protesters they blame for violence, while state and local Minnesota officials have pursued assault charges against at least two federal officers. The agents who fatally shot two protesters, Alex Pretti and Renee Good, have not been charged.
Walz and Ellison did not immediately respond to email messages Tuesday seeking comment on the federal indictment.
U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen and Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Michael McCarthy announced charges against fifteen people for conspiring to interfere and injure federal immigration agents during Operation Metro Surge on Tuesday, June 16, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minn. (AP Photo/Mark Vancleave)
/// U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen and Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Michael McCarthy announced charges against fifteen people for conspiring to interfere and injure federal immigration agents during Operation Metro Surge on Tuesday, June 16, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minn. (AP Photo/Mark Vancleave)
FILE - Federal immigration officers deploy tear gas at protesters after a shooting Jan. 24, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr, File)
United States Attorney Daniel N. Rosen speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Attorney's office in the Federal Courthouse in Minneapolis on Thursday, June 11, 2026. (Alex Kormann/Minnesota Star Tribune via AP)
