Just days after South Korea’s men’s national football team saw their hopes of advancing to the 2026 FIFA World Cup knockout stage dashed, head coach Hong Myung-bo has stepped down from his post, taking full accountability for the team’s underwhelming performance that has sent shockwaves through South Korean football. This marks Hong’s second tenure leading the national side, a role that was mired in controversy from the moment he was appointed in 2024.
Ranked 32nd in the world and led by star talisman Son Heung-min, South Korea wrapped up Group A play with one win and two losses, finishing behind 15th-ranked Mexico and 60th-ranked South Africa. Their 1-0 defeat to South Africa in the final group match on Thursday left them third in the group standings. With the 2026 World Cup expanding from 32 to 48 teams, a new rule allows the eight best third-placed teams from the group stage to progress to the knockout round, leaving South Korea with a narrow shot at qualification. That faint hope was fully extinguished on Saturday, eliminating the team from the tournament before the knockout round even began.
The early exit triggered immediate and widespread criticism across South Korea. South Korean President Lee Jae-myung has called for a full investigation into what he described as a deeply disappointing performance, saying he felt “not just confusion but utter bewilderment at the unexpected outcome” in a post on social platform X. Lee pointed to structural issues, arguing that “When favoritism and cronyism take precedence over competence in selecting a commander, the result is as predictable as fire burning paper,” a direct reference to the contentious circumstances of Hong’s appointment.
Hong formally announced his resignation during a press conference held in western Mexico on Sunday, where he apologized unreservedly to the Korean public and took sole responsibility for the result. “We didn’t deliver the results that our fans expected,” Hong said. “The responsibility rests entirely with me as head coach.” He added that while he was stepping away from the national team role, he remained committed to Korean football. “Even though I am leaving the national team, I am not abandoning Korean football altogether. 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.”
Addressing the long-running controversy around his appointment, Hong pushed back on claims that he did not act in the best interest of the sport. “Accepting the job was not an easy choice,” he 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.”
Hong’s history with South Korean football goes back decades: as a player, he captained the 2002 co-hosted South Korean side to a historic semi-final finish, cementing his status as a national hero. But his first stint as head coach ended in disappointment in 2014, when the team failed to win a single match or advance out of the group stage at that year’s World Cup. When the Korea Football Association (KFA) appointed Hong again in 2024, it sparked widespread public uproar. Critics argued that the KFA had passed over multiple foreign candidates that had completed a rigorous vetting process, choosing instead to hand the top job to an ally connected to the association’s old guard.
As Hong prepares to return to South Korea this weekend, local media outlets report that South Korean police have stepped up security at Incheon International Airport and other key locations after an online death threat was made against the outgoing coach. Law enforcement have stated they are monitoring for potential security risks surrounding Hong’s arrival.