Why is South Korea so furious at its FIFA World Cup coach?

SEOUL, South Korea – South Korea’s exit from the FIFA World Cup in the group stage has been followed by the country’s president demanding an investigation, national team coach Hong Myung-bo resigning, and fans calling for reform of the Korea Football Association.

Here is why the team’s elimination has rippled into a controversy far beyond the pitch:

What happened at the World Cup?

South Korea opened Group A with a 2-1 win over the Czech Republic but then lost 1-0 to Mexico and 1-0 to South Africa, finishing third and failing to qualify for the round of 32 as one of the eight best third-placed teams.

The expanded 48-team tournament had raised expectations that South Korea would reach the knockout stage, with local media labelling the squad a “golden generation” headlined by former Tottenham Hotspur forward Son Heung-min, Paris St Germain midfielder Lee Kang-in, and Bayern Munich defender Kim Min-jae.

The South Africa defeat became the flashpoint and Hong was criticized for leaving Son out of the starting lineup, bringing him on at halftime with the score at 0-0. He later said he had planned to use him when South Africa tired, but that he would do things differently had he known how the match would turn out.

Why is the reaction so fierce?

The anger is not just about three World Cup matches. It was born of frustration over the Korea Football Association’s (KFA) handling of the national team, including the appointment and firing of Juergen Klinsmann, the former Germany striker and Korean national team coach in 2023.

Hong’s appointment in July 2024, after Klinsmann was fired after just a year in the role, was controversial.

Hong is one of South Korea’s most renowned football figures, having captained the team to the 2002 World Cup semifinals and later coached South Korea to Olympic bronze in 2012.

He was appointed to his first stint as national team manager in 2013 but resigned a year later after his young and promising squad was eliminated in the group phase of the World Cup in Brazil.

After an unsuccessful stint in the Chinese Super League, Hong restored his reputation in the domestic K League, leading Ulsan HD to back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023.

Amid reports that the KFA wanted him to return, Hong said he did not want to leave Ulsan during the season.

His return as national team coach in 2024 attracted questions from fans, former players, and lawmakers, who said the KFA appeared to abandon a months-long search involving foreign candidates before appointing Hong after a brief meeting.

Former national team midfielder Park Joo-ho, who served on the KFA’s search committee, was among the most prominent critics of the search process and uploaded a video on YouTube detailing the story behind Hong’s appointment.

South Korea’s sports ministry said in October 2024 that the KFA breached its own rules in the hirings of both Hong and Klinsmann. It said the KFA technical director’s meeting with Hong was not a proper interview.

The ministry stopped short of ordering the KFA to cancel Hong’s contract, saying it had not found evidence of illegal measures to select him.

What did the KFA say in parliament?

The controversy prompted a parliamentary committee hearing in September 2024, where KFA President Chung Mong-gyu and Hong were questioned.

The KFA said there had been no major procedural violations. Chung told lawmakers the association could not say it had done everything perfectly but had worked hard and followed regulations.

Hong said he had accepted the role as his “final service” to Korean football and that his mission was to strengthen the team and deliver results at the World Cup.

Faced with the backlash to Hong’s appointment, Chung announced in May he intended to step down after the World Cup.

What happens next?

Prior to the World Cup, South Korean police had already been investigating complaints alleging improper interference in Hong’s appointment, though no criminal findings have yet been announced against Hong or KFA officials.

More complaints have since been lodged.

In April, a court ruled against the KFA in a lawsuit challenging a sports ministry demand for disciplinary action against Chung. The court found flaws in the appointment process for Hong and insufficient board deliberation. The KFA has appealed.

Following South Korea’s exit at the World Cup, President Lee Jae Myung said on June 28 on the X platform that he was “utterly baffled” by the elimination, blaming it on personnel decisions.

He said factionalism or loyalty had been prioritised over competence, and asked the sports ministry to investigate and propose measures to prevent a recurrence.

The ruling Democratic Party is planning a parliamentary hearing next week into the World Cup failure and KFA management, local media has reported. It is also expected to grill the KFA.

The immediate questions are who leads the national team next, whether the government review forces broader reform, and whether the KFA can rebuild public trust before South Korea’s next major tournament.

What has happened to Hong since World Cup exit?

Hong resigned shortly after South Korea was eliminated from the World Cup, saying the responsibility rests with him.

Fans booed Hong at the airport when the team arrived in Seoul on June 29, while applauding the players. Some held banners saying: “South Korean football is dead”.

Many fans say their anger is less about the poor results on the pitch than about what they see as a pattern of opaque appointments, weak accountability, and football officials protecting their own.

Former players and commentators have said the World Cup failure should force South Korean football to examine how it reached this point.

Hong left for the United States on Thursday and said he did not know when he would return, according to broadcaster MBC. – Rappler.com