Manager Hong Myung-bo addresses the controversy over his two-minute resignation, stating, "I wrote this after thinking all night; I had already said everything I needed to say before that."

*This content was translated by AI.

Former South Korea national football team manager Hong Myung-bo directly addressed the so-called "two-minute resignation controversy."

According to Channel A on the 2nd, former Manager Hong stated in an interview that his brief resignation press conference and the prepared statement at the time were "written after thinking all night."

Former Manager Hong said, "I did not hold back my words; I had already said everything I needed to say before. The overall review of the matches was all discussed after the South Africa tournament ended," and explained, "Since the questions were almost entirely related to the matches, and I had already spoken about them beforehand, it was pre-negotiated."

He continued, "The resignation statement was something I wrote after thinking about various things all night long," adding, "What would the public be curious about? Since the games went poorly, I discussed everything regarding that after the South Africa tournament ended."

It appears former Manager Hong explained that although the resignation statement was not lengthy, it contained his position, and that he did not give a separate interview at the press conference venue or upon returning to the country because these were pre-negotiated matters.

The Hong Myung-bo era received a disappointing report card in the 2026 FIFA North America World Cup. South Korea was placed in Group A along with Mexico, Czechia, and South Africa. There was also anticipation that they would be drawn into the best group composition in World Cup history by being grouped with opponents worth challenging. South Korea won against Czechia in the first match but lost consecutively to Mexico and South Africa. Ultimately, they finished the group stage with one win and two losses, placing third in Group A.

This tournament featured a format where not only the top two teams from each group advanced to the Round of 32, but also the eight best-performing third-placed teams among the twelve third-place teams from each group. However, South Korea ranked only 10th among the third-placed teams and failed to advance to the knockout stage. Their final ranking was 34th out of 48 teams. This was the worst World Cup performance in South Korean football history.

Former Manager Hong held a press conference at Chivas Valle Verde in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, after it was confirmed that South Korea had been eliminated from the group stage, announcing his voluntary resignation while taking responsibility for the poor World Cup performance. Although former Manager Hong's contract was set to last until the 2027 AFC Asian Cup held in January next year, he stepped down before completing his contract term.

However, former Manager Hong's brief resignation press conference immediately sparked controversy. At that time, former Manager Hong said, "I sincerely apologize to all the citizens who love South Korean football and support the national team," adding, "Taking on the role of national team manager again was by no means an easy decision, but I believed it was my duty to take responsibility from the moment I accepted the role until the very end."

He continued, "I constantly asked myself throughout every process, including player selection and training preparation, 'Is this choice for South Korean football?' while explaining, 'I cannot say all my judgments were correct, but all my standards were based on South Korean football.'"

He then stated, "This World Cup performance did not meet expectations, and all responsibility lies with me as the manager," clarifying, "While I am stepping down from the managerial position, my heart for South Korean football will remain unchanged. I will continue to offer support in any way possible in the future."

Former Manager Hong left the press conference venue without a separate question-and-answer session after reading his entire resignation statement. The press conference lasted only about two minutes. Some voices criticized former Manager Hong's attitude during the resignation press conference. On the way back on the 30th of last month, former Manager Hong also exited the arrival hall without a separate interview. Many football fans gathered at the airport poured out fierce criticism toward former Manager Hong.

Regarding public criticism, former Manager Hong said, "I do not feel much wronged. There is nothing wronged; as the manager, it is right that I take responsibility," and added, "It is a bit regrettable that results did not come out during the preparation process."

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*This content was translated by AI.