Hong Myung-bo has resigned as South Korea’s head coach following the national team’s disappointing group-stage exit at the FIFA World Cup, accepting full responsibility after failing to reach the knockout rounds.
South Korea had hoped to advance as one of the tournament’s best third-placed teams after finishing third in Group A, but results elsewhere on Saturday ended those hopes and confirmed their elimination.
Speaking at a press conference in Mexico on Sunday, Hong apologised to supporters and admitted the team had fallen short of expectations.
He said the disappointing campaign was his responsibility as head coach, adding that although he was leaving the national team, he would continue supporting Korean football and hoped the squad would regain the trust of fans.
South Korea, ranked 32nd in the FIFA rankings and captained by Son Heung-min, finished the tournament with one win and two defeats. They ended behind group winners Mexico and runners-up South Africa, despite the latter being ranked significantly lower.
The decisive blow came in Thursday’s 1-0 defeat to South Africa, leaving South Korea in third place. Although the expanded 48-team World Cup introduced a route for the eight best third-placed teams to qualify for the last 32, the final group-stage results left Hong’s side outside the qualification places.
The early exit sparked heavy criticism across South Korea. The Red Devils, the national team’s official supporters’ group, demanded Hong’s resignation and called on him to leave football altogether.
President Lee Jae Myung also criticised the team’s performance, describing the World Cup campaign as a failure of organisation and personnel management. He announced that authorities would investigate the reasons behind the disappointing result and suggested that favouritism in key appointments had undermined the team’s competitiveness.
Hong’s return as national team coach in 2024 had already divided opinion. The former defender captained South Korea during its historic run to the 2002 World Cup semi-finals, but his previous spell as head coach ended with a group-stage exit at the 2014 tournament without a single victory.
His reappointment drew criticism after the Korea Football Association overlooked several foreign candidates who had gone through an extensive selection process, prompting accusations that familiar figures within the federation had favoured one of their own.
Reflecting on his tenure, Hong said every decision he made was taken with the best interests of Korean football in mind, even if not all of them proved to be the right ones.
Meanwhile, South Korean police have increased security at Incheon Airport and other locations after an online death threat targeting Hong surfaced ahead of his return home, according to local media.