The president of South Korea is clearly upset about the team’s recent World Cup exit.
The team was expected to progress from their group, which included Mexico, the Czech Republic, and South Africa. However, they faced an unexpected loss against South Africa on Wednesday, which meant they missed an opportunity to qualify among the top eight third-place teams for the Round of 32.
On Sunday, President Lee Jae-myung expressed his confusion over the team’s lackluster performance and criticized coach Hong Myung-bo, suggesting that his request for a governmental investigation into his early departure was due to incompetence.
Hong resigned after the team concluded the group stage with only three points. He had previously been the national coach from 2013 to 2014.
Although rehired in 2024, President Lee hinted that the hiring process may have been flawed.
“These failed appointments indicate a lack of distinction between public and private interests, prioritizing personal interests at the expense of public accountability,” he mentioned in a post.
Lee regarded the team’s exit as a “deep disappointment,” attributing it to “organizational and personnel failures.”
“Considering the significant investment of taxpayer money and national resources in the World Cup, I urge the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism to investigate what happened, identify the causes, and implement measures to prevent such failures in the future,” he stated.
Regarding his resignation, Hong reflected, “Accepting this role wasn’t easy, but I focused on taking responsibility until the very end.”
South Korea entered the tournament as the second-seeded team in their group, following Mexico, but stumbled in their initial match, managing only a 2-1 victory against the Czech Republic.
They lost 1-0 to Mexico and needed just one point from the South Africa match to move forward.
Yet, they faced a surprising 1-0 defeat, allowing South Africa to advance instead.
