'Hong Myung-bo's Resignation' Draws Global Attention: "Korean President Lee Jae-myung Strongly Criticizes"... Even 'No Hong Myung-bo Zone' Makes Foreign Media

*This content was translated by AI.

News of Hong Myung-bo, head coach of the South Korean national football team, voluntarily resigning was also reported by foreign media. Particular attention was drawn to President Lee Jae-myung's direct and strong criticism regarding South Korea's disastrous performance at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America.

On the 29th (Korean time), Reuters reported, "President Lee Jae-myung has poured out criticism following South Korea's early exit from the North American World Cup." The report added, "President Lee attributed the early exit to favoritism issues that arose during personnel appointments and strongly criticized Coach Hong Myung-bo. He also demanded an investigation into the national team's performance led by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism."

On this day, Coach Hong Myung-bo held a press conference at Chivas Valle Verde in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, and announced his voluntary resignation, taking responsibility for the team's poor performance at the World Cup. Coach Hong's contract was set to last until the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, scheduled for January next year. However, he stepped down before completing his contract term.

In this tournament, South Korea was drawn into Group A alongside Mexico, Czechia, and South Africa. While expectations were high for the team to reach the knockout stage, the result was one win and two losses (three points), finishing third in the group.

South Korea started well by coming from behind to defeat Czechia 2-1 in the group stage's opening match. However, they lost 0-1 to host nation Mexico in the second match and collapsed 0-1 against South Africa in the final match. A draw against South Africa would have been enough to finish second in Group A and advance to the round of 32, but the team failed to achieve even that minimal result.

This tournament allowed not only the top two teams from each group but also the eight best-performing third-placed teams among the 12 third-place finishers to advance to the round of 32. However, South Korea finished only 10th among the third-placed teams. Ultimately, out of 48 teams, South Korea ended its World Cup journey in a lonely 34th place.

This was also a painful failure for Coach Hong Myung-bo. He had previously led the South Korean national team at the 2014 Brazil World Cup but was eliminated in the group stage with one draw and two losses. His second World Cup challenge also ended in failure.

President Lee Jae-myung also expressed strong regret through his social media. President Lee stated, "As the former honorary president of the professional football league and a spiritual Red Devil, I am not only surprised but also bewildered by the unexpected result." He added, "The failure to qualify for the World Cup, which left the nation feeling empty, appears to be the result of organizational and personnel failures."

President Lee continued, "This once again proves that personnel decisions determine everything. When incompetent individuals are selected as commanders based on personal connections rather than ability, the outcome is as clear as day." He pointed out, "The fact that fake personnel appointments, which cannot distinguish between public and private interests and prioritize private gain over public welfare, are possible is due to the inability or difficulty of monitoring, checking, and holding personnel authorities accountable."

Reuters gave significant coverage to President Lee's remarks. The media explained, "This was a reaction to South Korea's elimination despite being placed in a relatively easy group and being assessed as having a high chance of reaching the round of 32." The report added, "When Coach Hong Myung-bo was reappointed as the head coach of the South Korean national team in 2024, Korean media pointed out suspicions of favoritism and an opaque appointment process. Coach Hong denied all of these allegations."

President Lee also called for an investigation at the level of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. He emphasized, "Since a significant amount of national tax revenue and state support resources are invested even for World Cup participation, I hope the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will carefully monitor the accurate situation and causes of this incident, and formulate measures to prevent recurrence and improve the situation."

Furthermore, President Lee left a message of apology to the nation, saying, "I am deeply sorry for causing great disappointment to the people with such an absurd incident. I will swiftly promote sports administration reform to prevent such incidents from happening again."

There was also mention of administrative reform in sports organizations. President Lee explained, "Just as the executive board of NH (Nonghyup) is being changed to a direct election system by members, I have instructed administrative guidance to introduce a direct election system for sports organizations such as the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee and the Football Association, not a small-scale indirect election by the Supreme Council's delegates, but by all relevant sportspeople. I understand that this is being implemented well."

Public anger was also reported by foreign media. Reuters noted the petition to remove Coach Hong Myung-bo that appeared on the National Assembly's National Petition Platform. The media also reported, "Social media posts containing text prohibiting Coach Hong Myung-bo from entering stores are spreading rapidly in South Korea."

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*This content was translated by AI.