South Korea’s coach resigned after exiting the World Cup as President Lee berated
South Korea head coach Hong Myung-bo resigned on Sunday following the team’s disappointing World Cup group stage exit, ending his second stint in charge of the national team. The announcement came at the team’s training camp in Guadalajara after South Korea failed to advance to the knockout stages as one of the top third-placed teams in the tournament.
Hong took full responsibility for the early departure and apologizedy supporters and described the campaign as a major disappointment despite a promising start.
“I would like to sincerely apologize to the citizens who loved Korean football and always supported the national team,” Hong said, according to Reuters.
“Today, I wish to step down as the head coach of the South Korean national football team. It was never an easy decision for me to accept this role. However, once I made the decision, I did not consider any other reasons. I believed that my only task was to fulfill the assigned responsibility to the end. I failed to deliver the results that the public expected. The responsibility rests entirely on me,” he added.
Appointed in July 2024 as Juergen Klinsmann’s long-term successor, Hong led South Korea to their 11th consecutive World Cup appearance. Expectations were high from a team led by captain Son Heung-min and key players such as Lee Kang-in and Kim Min-jae. South Korea opened their campaign with a 2-1 win over the Czech Republic, but back-to-back defeats against Mexico and South Africa brought them to the brink of elimination. Their fate was sealed when Congo won 3-1 over Uzbekistan to confirm their exit from the tournament. South Korea coach Hong Myung-bo resigned due to criticism (Photo Reuters)
PRESIDENT LEE CRITICIZES TEAM ASSEMBLY AFTER SHOCKS EAST
The premature elimination sparked a strong reaction in South Korea as president Lee Jae Myung launched a scathing criticism of the national team management and football administration.
“As a former honorary chairman of a professional football club and a member of the Red Devils at heart, I feel not only surprise but also deep confusion at this unexpected result,” Lee said in a statement on his social media account.
“It has been proven once again that personnel decisions determine everything. If loyalty and factionalism are valued over competence and an incompetent person is appointed as leader, the result is as predictable as fire,” he added, questioning the decision-making structure behind Hong’s appointment.
The President also called on the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to review the performance of the national team and the wider football administration.
“I sincerely apologize to the public for the deep disappointment caused by this absurd situation. We will move swiftly to reform sports governance to ensure this does not happen again,” Lee said.
Hong’s resignation marks another painful World Cup campaign for South Korea, who also oversaw their group stage exit at the 2014 edition in Brazil. Despite being regulars at the World Cup with 11 consecutive appearances and reaching the semi-finals as co-hosts in 2002, the latest setback has intensified scrutiny of the direction of South Korean football.
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Published on:
June 29, 2026 0:48 AM IST