South Korea national team head coach Hong Myung-bo has resigned following the team’s early elimination from the World Cup, a result that triggered strong public backlash and sharp criticism from the country’s leadership.
The decision came on Sunday after South Korea failed to progress beyond the group stage, despite entering the tournament with high expectations. The team secured a win against the Czech Republic in their opening match but went on to suffer consecutive defeats against South Africa and Mexico in Group A.
Their hopes of advancing as one of the best third-placed teams were officially ended after Congo defeated Uzbekistan 3-1 on Saturday, sealing South Korea’s elimination from the tournament.
The disappointing exit sparked intense criticism from President Lee Jae Myung, who condemned both the national team’s structure and leadership decisions. He directly questioned the appointment of the coaching staff and emphasized that poor personnel decisions contributed to the outcome.
“Once again, it has been proven that personnel decisions determine everything. If loyalty and factionalism are valued over competence and an incapable person is appointed as a leader, the outcome is as predictable as fire,” the president said.
Lee, who described himself as closely connected to football culture in the country, expressed deep disappointment at the result and called for urgent reforms within the national sports administration.
“As a former honorary professional football club chairman and, at heart, a member of the Red Devils, I feel not just surprise but deep bewilderment at this unexpected result,” he added.
Following the elimination, Hong Myung-bo,who was in his second stint as national team coach issued an emotional apology to fans before confirming his resignation ahead of the team’s departure from their base in Mexico.
“To all of the Korean people who love and support our national team, I would like to genuinely apologize. Today, I’d like to announce that I will step down as the national team head coach,” Hong said.
He added that responsibility for the failure rested with him, stating that results ultimately define leadership. Despite stepping down, he expressed continued support for South Korean football.
Hong previously led the team at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, where South Korea also failed to advance beyond the group stage.
South Korea, a consistent World Cup participant with 11 consecutive appearances, remains one of Asia’s most experienced football nations and famously reached the semi-finals when it co-hosted the tournament in 2002.
In response to the early exit, President Lee has instructed the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to conduct a full review of the national team system and its management structure, promising reforms to prevent similar failures in the future.
“I sincerely apologize to the public for the deep disappointment caused by this absurd situation. We will move swiftly to reform sports administration to ensure this does not happen again,” Lee said.
