South Korean referee, Ko Hyung-jin, is said to be in charge of the Persib vs Persija match

Persib vs Persija duel has the potential to be led by foreign referees (doc. Persib).

JAKARTA - South Korean referee Ko Hyung-jin is said to be leading the heated match between Persib Bandung and Persija Jakarta. The match in the 17th week of the 2025/2026 Super League will take place on Sunday, January 11, 2026.

The news of Ko Hyung-jin's assignment in the Indonesian classic was first shared by the Referee Forum account on the Instagram social media on Wednesday, January 7, 2026. In his post, the PSSI Referee Committee is said to have patented the appointment.

"South Korean referee Ko Hyung-jin has been officially appointed to lead the 17th week of the Super League between Persib Bandung and Persija Jakarta, Sunday (11/1/2026)," wrote the Referee Forum, quoted Thursday, January 8, 2026.

If you look at the task record, this season Ko Hyung-jin has only led one Super League match. The moment happened in the PSIM Yogyakarta match against Semen Padang FC on Sunday, January 4, 2026.

However, it was not the first time the referee had led a match in the country. Last season, the 43-year-old man led four Liga 1 matches, namely Dewa United vs Arema, Borneo vs Semen Padang, Persebaya vs Malut United, and Persija vs Persita.

At the international level, Ko Hyung-jin also led the Indonesian national team against Lebanon on September 8, 2025. This trial match ended in a 0-0 draw.

Ko Hyung-jin also led Al Nassr's match against Istiqlol in the 2025/2026 Asian Champions League Two (AFC Champions League Two). In fact, he also led the Asian Champions League Elite (AFC Champions League Elite).

On the other hand, Ko Hyung-jin's assignment is also not completely certain. Because the I-League as the competition operator has not yet given an official statement.

On a separate occasion earlier, Asep Saputra as the Director of Operations of I-League stated that his party could not determine the referee who would be in charge.

In the Persib vs Persija match, Asep revealed that the referee who led a match was 100 percent the responsibility of the PSSI Referee Committee, which is currently headed by Yoshimi Ogawa.

"That is 100 percent the authority of the Referee Committee (PSSI)," said Asep Saputra in a statement in Jakarta, quoted Friday, December 26, 2025.