South Korean President Lee Jae-myung called on the country’s sports ministry to investigate the national team’s exit from the group stage of the World Cup, and head coach Hong Myung-bo said he would resign.
President Lee said he was “completely baffled” by the results and appeared to criticize the South Korean Football Association’s (KFA) appointment of Hong as head coach as he claimed “competence” was not a priority when selecting a leader.
On Sunday, Hong said he was “stepping down” as coach and added: “It was not an easy decision for me to take on this role, but once I accepted it, I didn’t think about anything other than the responsibility until the very last moment.”
A former defender who played 136 games for South Korea as a player, Hong has held the position since 2024 and said he took “full responsibility” for the poor World Cup campaign.
Hung confirmed he would retire once his World Cup elimination was confirmed. (Ulysses Ruiz/AFP via Getty Images)
South Korea’s exit from the World Cup was confirmed on Saturday as it failed to qualify for the knockout stage as one of the top eight third-placed teams. Hong’s side took three points from three games, winning against the Czech Republic but losing to hosts Mexico and South Africa despite being the second-ranked team in their group, and left their fate out of their hands at the conclusion of the group stage.
In a lengthy statement posted on social media, the president referred to the “significant” taxpayer funds used for the team’s participation, apologized for the “deep disappointment” caused to the public and called on the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to investigate what went wrong so the government could reform its sports administration.
โIโm not just stunned by this unexpected outcome, Iโm completely baffled,โ Lee wrote on X.
He continued: โGiven that significant national taxpayer funds and government support resources are invested even in participation in the World Cup, I request the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to thoroughly investigate the exact circumstances of this incident, analyze its causes and develop thorough measures to prevent a recurrence and improve the situation.
โWe will move swiftly forward with sports administration reforms to ensure something like this never happens again.โ
Fans celebrate before the South Africa-South Korea match
Thomas Hill Lopez-Menchero
Hong, considered one of Asia’s greatest footballers, returned as South Korea’s head coach in 2024 after a previous stint in 2013.
Following his appointment, the sports ministry called on the CFA to reconsider the decision as they argued that the association had violated its own rules and found it “difficult to consider this as a reasonable interview process”, according to Reuters quotes. KFA denies any wrongdoing.
Lee argued that it is โimpossible or difficult to monitor, verify and hold accountable those who have the authority to make appointments.โ He said the choice of leader failed to distinguish between โpublic and private interests.โ
The FA has been contacted for comment. Athletic.
Hong led South Korea to the 2026 World Cup, going undefeated in qualifying before exiting the group stage.