The 'warning bell' rang even when compared to Asia's weakest... For two years, there was no answer on how to utilize Son Heung-min, the three-at-the-back system, or Plan B. [Predicted disaster of Hong Myung-bo's tenure ②]

*This content was translated by AI.

Hong Myung-bo, the head coach of the South Korean national football team, has ultimately resigned in 'disgrace.' This comes about two years after his appointment amid controversy over fairness. On the 29th (Korea time), the day after it was confirmed that South Korea would be eliminated from the group stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America and the Caribbean, Coach Hong held a press conference in Mexico and declared his resignation. From the outset of his tenure, he was engulfed in controversy over fairness, and throughout his two-year journey, he failed to win the support of fans. He left another stain on South Korean football history, 12 years after the 2014 Brazil tournament. StarNews will look back on the two years of Hong Myung-bo's tenure, which were predicted to be a disaster, and examine the situation of South Korean football, which is now inevitably in chaos, in a three-part series. /Editor's note

After former coach Jurgen Klinsmann (62) was dismissed following the 2023 Qatar Asian Cup, South Korean football needed a new commander. The team endured a short period under the leadership of Hwang Sun-hong (58), head coach of Daejeon Hana Citizen, and former interim coach Kim Do-hoon (56), but it was urgent to appoint a permanent head coach to lead the national team until the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America and the Caribbean. Despite various controversies, the Korea Football Association entrusted the coaching reins to Hong Myung-bo (57) once again.

But the outcome was the worst. South Korea tasted the bitterness of group stage elimination at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America and the Caribbean, and Coach Hong stepped down immediately after the elimination was confirmed.

In July 2024, Coach Hong returned as the South Korean national team head coach for the first time in 10 years. His two-year record totaled 26 matches: 15 wins, 5 draws, and 6 losses. His win rate was 57.7%. Looking only at the numbers, it does not appear to be a terrible record. However, when examining the details and comparing them with other Asian rival nations, the sense of regret becomes much greater.

Japan, 'Korea's eternal rival,' was different. Under the guidance of Coach Hajime Moriyasu, Japan achieved an overwhelming record of 17 wins, 6 draws, and 2 losses from the Asian third round of qualifiers through the World Cup group stage. In the process, they also defeated world-class powerhouses such as England and Brazil in A-match games. There was a reason for Japan's confidence in their ability to achieve good results on the world stage.

Even Iran, which was eliminated in the group stage of this World Cup, recorded 12 wins, 8 draws, and 3 losses during the same period. Although the A-match results prior to the World Cup were not good due to military tensions between the United States, Israel, and Iran, they at least showed a strong performance in the Asian third round of qualifiers.

In contrast, South Korea exposed instability from the Asian third round of qualifiers, which Hong Myung-bo coached throughout. South Korea recorded 6 wins and 4 draws in the third round, securing the top spot in Group B and earning the World Cup finals ticket for the 11th consecutive time. Judging only by the results, it was a success. However, apart from the 4-0 decisive victory against Kuwait in the final 10th match, there were not many games where they dominated their opponents.

It was already unstable from the match against Palestine, which was Hong Myung-bo's return game and the first match of the third round. South Korea drew 0-0 without scoring against Palestine, considered the weakest team, at Seoul World Cup Stadium. The shock was even greater because the match was held at home.

Even after that, South Korea repeated scenes that were not refreshing, such as winning with a dramatic goal in the late second half or conceding goals amid defensive instability. They drew consecutively in away matches against Palestine, Oman, and Jordan, at one point raising red flags for their qualification. Fortunately, they escaped the crisis by defeating Iraq 2-0 after an early red card for the opponent in the first half, but doubts about their performance never completely disappeared.

Just last year, South Korea finished as runner-up at the East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) E-1 Championship, also known as the East Asian Cup, losing to Japan. This was also when Coach Hong officially introduced the three-at-the-back tactic he had adopted as Plan A.

At one point, it seemed as if the three-at-the-back tactic was taking root. After the East Asian Cup, South Korea recorded 4 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss in late 2025. They defeated co-host United States 2-0 in an away match and drew 2-2 with Mexico. South Korea's victory seemed within reach until they conceded a heartbreaking equalizing goal in stoppage time.

Of course, the 0-5 crushing defeat against Brazil was painful. However, they subsequently defeated 'South America's dark horse' Paraguay and Bolivia in succession, and in the match against Bolivia, they seemed to show tactical flexibility by deploying a four-at-the-back system instead of the three-at-the-back. In November last year, they defeated African powerhouse Ghana 1-0.

However, the hearts of South Korean football fans, exhausted by the long national team slump and various controversies, did not easily return. This was also reflected in attendance numbers. After the wall of 60,000 spectators at Seoul World Cup Stadium was broken in Hong Myung-bo's return match against Palestine, A-match games held in South Korea repeatedly failed to sell out. There were even scenes of booing despite the matches being at home.

In the Brazil match, 63,237 spectators filled Seoul World Cup Stadium as world-class players visited South Korea, but subsequent matches against Paraguay and Bolivia drew only 22,206 and 33,852 spectators, respectively. This was a scene showing that fan support for the national team was not what it used to be.

Nevertheless, since the national team's performance was good at the end of last year, there was an opportunity to change the atmosphere. At that time, public opinion toward Coach Hong was gradually changing. Expectations for the World Cup finals grew amid a winning streak. However, Coach Hong failed to seize that opportunity. The national team fell into slump again.

South Korea suffered a crushing 0-4 defeat against Côte d'Ivoire last March. The performance was also poor, as South Korea managed only two effective shots while the opponent recorded eight. They then lost 0-1 to Austria. This was a losing streak that occurred just a few months before the World Cup.

Coach Hong's three-at-the-back tactic was once again put on the table. Criticism arose that there was no Plan B to replace Plan A when it stalled. In the Austria match, Coach Hong made seven substitutions, but most were simply swaps of players in the same positions. It was closer to a substitution that only changed players rather than a change that altered the flow of the game.

The best 11 was also not clearly determined. It was not clear until the end who the central defensive partner would be to support 'monster defender' Kim Min-jae (30, Bayern Munich). How to utilize Son Heung-min (34, LAFC), who showed inconsistency when playing as a striker, was also a major issue. Hwang In-beom (30, Feyenoord) also could not be guaranteed to be in normal condition until just before the tournament due to injury repercussions. There was also insufficient time to synchronize with teammates through match practice. In addition, defensive injuries occurred just before the tournament, such as Jo Yu-min (30, Sharjah FC) being left out of the squad.

They seemed to find confidence by defeating Trinidad and Tobago and El Salvador, which were rated as weak teams, but this did not lead to good results in the World Cup finals.

In this tournament, South Korea was drawn into Group A along with Mexico, Czechia, and South Africa. Immediately after the draw, there were many evaluations that they had faced relatively easy opponents. However, the result was 1 win, 2 losses, 3 points, and 3rd place in Group A.

The start was good. South Korea achieved a 2-1 comeback victory against Czechia in the group stage's first match. Following Hwang In-beom's fantastic equalizing goal, Oh Hyun-kyu (25, Beşiktaş) scored the winning goal. However, the turnaround did not last long. South Korea lost 0-1 to host nation Mexico in the second match and also collapsed 0-1 in the final match against South Africa. The only match in which South Korea won after conceding the first goal under Coach Hong's system was the Czechia match at the North America and Caribbean World Cup. This means they lacked the power to change the flow of the game.

Controversy also arose regarding the substitution timing for Son Heung-min. Coach Hong succeeded in a comeback victory in the Czechia match by using the move of taking Son Heung-min off early in the second half. However, in the Mexico match, Son Heung-min was substituted at a similar time, but the same result did not follow.

In the South Africa match, which was the most fatal, Son Heung-min could not even start. South Korea could have reached the round of 32 in 2nd place in Group A with just a draw against South Africa. However, South Korea showed frustrating attacking power throughout the first half. Coach Hong brought Son Heung-min on at the start of the second half, but they ended up conceding the winning goal. Ultimately, South Korea missed the opportunity to qualify for the round of 32 on their own without even achieving the minimum result.

Disappointing scenes were repeated throughout the group stage. When Seol Young-woo (28, Zvezda), who plays as a full-back for his club team, performed poorly in the wing-back role for the national team, there was no suitable card to replace him. The role of German-Korean mixed-race midfielder Jens Castrof (23, Borussia Mönchengladbach), who plays as a regular in the German Bundesliga, was also evaluated as limited.

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

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*This content was translated by AI.