The J. League on Tuesday suspended Sagan Tosu defender Kim Min-hyeok for four games for stomping on fallen Kashima Antlers player Mu Kanazaki last Friday.
Kim will miss the league games on April 12 and 18 as well as the Nabisco Cup matches on Wednesday and April 22 for what the J. League described as "violent conduct and/or threatening another player."
Tosu issued a statement saying, "We would like to reiterate our deepest apologies to Kashima Antlers' Mu Kanazaki and the rest of the club for Kim Min-hyeok's behavior."
The incident occurred in the second half of Kashima's 3-1 home win over Tosu, when Kim deliberately stepped on Kanazaki, who was on the ground with his back turned to the South Korean.
The referees did not see Kim commit the foul at the time, but the league conducted a review and a hearing for Kim following a formal protest from Antlers.