Head of government took to social media after the national team was eliminated from the group stage
South Korea head coach Hong Myung-bo has resigned after the country’s group-stage exit at theWorld Cup was followed by fierce criticism from the country’s president about “incompetent people”.
The 57-year-old stepped down a day after South Korea failed to progress from Group A, having lost 1-0 to both South Africa and co-hosts Mexico before beating Czechia 2-1 to finish with three points. Expectations had been for South Korea to reach the knockout stages in this expanded edition.
Announcing his decision, Hong said he had tried to act in the best interests of the national team. “Over the past two years I asked myself the same question whenever I had to make important decisions, select players or prepare for training session and matches: ‘Is this the right choice for Korean football?’” Hong said.
“I cannot say every decision has been the right one, but I can tell you that I have made every decision with Korean football in mind.”
His departure followed criticism on social media by South Korea’s president Lee Jae Myung, who apologised to supporters after the disappointing campaign and blamed the sporting administration.
“When loyalty and factionalism are valued over competence, and incompetent people are appointed to leadership positions, the outcome is all but inevitable,” Lee wrote on X.
“I offer my deepest apologies to the public for the profound disappointment caused by this unacceptable outcome. We will move swiftly to reform sports administration to ensure that nothing like this happens again.”
Hong had not been supported by a large section of country to lead the national team. During the qualifiers, he was booed by supporters at home matches and at the tournament he was under intense scrutiny from fans and the South Korean media.
Criticism intensified after he dropped captain Son Heung-min for their second match against South Africa, where a draw could have helped them secure qualification. South Korea lost 1-0, which meant that even victory over Czechia in their last game was not enough.
Hong said he would continue to support the national team despite stepping aside: “I will cheer for the national team from the bottom of my heart and hope that the team will be trusted and loved by the people once again.”
