'South Korea national team coach's historically humiliating exit': Coach Hong Myung-bo resigns in less than two minutes... 'No Q&A,' only a bitter departure [World Cup On-Site Issues]

*This content was translated by AI.

There was no question-and-answer session, and the reading of the apology statement took less than two minutes. Even the press corps had to leave the venue in a rush, less than 10 minutes after the press conference ended.

Coach Hong Myung-bo held a press conference at Chivas Verde Valle in Guadalajara, Zapopan, Mexico, the base camp of the South Korean national team, at 9:30 a.m. local time on the 28th, and personally read an apology statement outlining his decision. With a heavy expression, Coach Hong stated, "I sincerely apologize to the people of Korea who have loved Korean football and have always supported the national team. Today, I wish to step down as the head coach of the South Korean national football team," officially announcing his resignation.

Coach Hong, who had taken office amid numerous controversies over special privileges, promising to make up for the failure in Brazil 12 years ago, fell again in a devastating manner. Although his original term was set to last until the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, he could not withstand the public criticism over his self-destruction despite receiving the best possible draw in history, nor the weight of a historical disaster, and ultimately stepped down.

Seemingly aware of the questionable process of his appointment, he shared his thoughts, saying, "Becoming the national team coach was by no means an easy decision, but from the moment I took the post, I believed that fulfilling my responsibility was the only duty."

He continued to explain his two-year tenure. Coach Hong said, "For the past two years, I have constantly asked myself, 'Was this choice made for the sake of Korean football?' and insisted that 'the standard for all decisions, including player selection, training, and matches, has always been Korean football.'"

He added, "I cannot say that all my decisions were always correct. The position of head coach is one where one takes responsibility without needing any explanation in the face of results. Today, I stood here to speak of responsibility rather than explanation," and bowed his head.

Finally, he expressed deep regret over the defeat, saying, "I am sorry that I could not deliver the results that the people expected in this World Cup, and all the responsibility lies with me." He continued, "I am grateful to the players, coaching staff, and support staff who stayed with me until the end. Although I am stepping down as head coach, I sincerely hope that Korean football will grow into a team that regains the trust of the people," and concluded his reading.

There was no separate question-and-answer session with the press. After finishing reading the apology statement, Coach Hong quickly left the press conference room without delay.

Due to venue booking issues, the training ground was not rented for an extended period and only opened at 9 a.m. local time. Coach Hong had to vacate the venue less than 10 minutes after the press conference ended.

The final record of Coach Hong Myung-bo's second term is a historic humiliation, finishing 34th out of 48 nations. Despite being drawn with Mexico, Czechia, and South Africa—the best possible draw in history—he self-destructed through a complete lack of tactics and passive game management. After suffering crushing defeats against Mexico (0-1) and South Africa (0-1), even the scenarios anxiously watched by the players during dinner the previous evening turned out to be the worst-case scenario, with Congo defeating Uzbekistan 3-1, leading to a stunned early exit.

As a result, Korean football left behind shameful records: the lowest-ever World Cup ranking since 1982, 44 years later, and the first time in 36 years that the team failed to score in two group-stage matches. Coach Hong is also the first in World Cup history to be eliminated from the group stage twice under the same coach. Amid criticism that he regressed the foundation built by coach Bento into a dark period, with two consecutive failures to reach the knockout stage, Coach Hong Myung-bo left in disgrace, reproducing the failure of 12 years ago in an even more devastating form.

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*This content was translated by AI.