Hong Myung-bo resigned as head coach of South Korea's men's national football team on Sunday after their World Cup campaign ended in the group stage, and President Lee Jae Myung called for an investigation into why the team fell short. The move came a day after South Korea were knocked out because of the other teams' final scores, closing a tournament that had already turned into a public reckoning.
Hong said at a news conference in Mexico that the responsibility rested entirely with him as head coach and that South Korea did not deliver the results fans expected. He had spent the past two years in charge.
The numbers explain why the exit cut so deeply. South Korea finished with two losses and one win, and a 1-0 defeat to South Africa on Thursday left them third in Group A. They were hoping to survive as one of the eight best third-placed teams under the expanded 48-team format, but Saturday's final results left them out. President Lee said he felt “not just confusion but utter bewilderment at the unexpected outcome,” and described the early exit as a failure of organisation and personnel.
The friction around the result was already there before the final whistle. Hong said he could not claim every decision had been right, but insisted he had made every choice with Korean football in mind. Lee went further, saying that when favouritism and cronyism come before competence in choosing a commander, the outcome is as predictable as fire burning paper. That sharper line now hangs over an investigation whose findings and timetable have not been set out.
Hong tried to soften the ending on Sunday, saying he was leaving the national team but not abandoning Korean football. He apologised to fans and said he would cheer for the team from the bottom of his heart, hoping it would once again be trusted and loved by the people. South Korea police also said they were watching for security threats at Incheon Airport and other locations after a death threat was made online against him.
