Korean referee Yu-Jeong makes Paris Olympics debut with Nigeria vs Brazil cracker
By Uzor Odigbo
FIFA has named South Korean referee, Yu-Jeong Kim to officiate Nigeria’s Paris 2024 Olympics opening group game on Thursday against Brazil in Bordeaux, France.
The South Korean represented her country in the Asian U-17 Women’s Championship in her youth before turning to refereeing to keep her passion for the sport alive once her playing days came to an end.
She will have her compatriot, Mi-Suk Park as her first assistant referee and Australian, Joanna Kate Charaktis as the second assistant referee
She earned her FIFA badge in 2018 and first came into the limelight when she officiated at the erstwhile AFC U-16 Women’s Championship.
The Korean Republic official became one of the most reliable match officials on the Continent and was frequently seen officiating in competitions such as the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Qualifiers and the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament Qualifiers.
Prior to her appointment at the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023, Kim, the former recipient of the Korea Football Association’s Female Referee of the Year Award was also selected to officiate in the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Costa Rica 2022.
