Hong Myung-bo said he would step down after South Korea's World Cup group-stage exit, ending his latest spell in charge after the team finished with three points from three games. Lee Jae Myung moved quickly on Sunday and called for the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to investigate what went wrong.
Hong Myung-bo Takes Responsibility
"It was not an easy decision for me to take this role, but once I took it, I thought about nothing else except being responsible until the very last moment," Hong Myung-bo said as he announced he was stepping down on Sunday. He said he took all the responsibility for the unsuccessful World Cup campaign.
South Korea’s exit was set on Saturday when it failed to progress to the knockout stages as one of the eight-best third-place teams. The team beat Czech Republic and lost to Mexico and South Africa in the group stage, leaving it second-highest ranked in the group but still out after three matches.
Lee Jae Myung Orders Review
Lee Jae Myung said he was "utterly baffled" by the results and pointed to the significant national taxpayer funds and state support resources used for World Cup participation. He also asked the ministry to investigate the precise circumstances, analyse the causes and develop measures for preventing recurrence and improvement.
The review will also bring the KFA’s appointment process back into focus. The sports ministry had already called on the KFA to review Hong Myung-bo’s appointment after his return as South Korea head coach in 2024, and the KFA denied any wrongdoing.
Hong Myung-bo's Return
Hong Myung-bo returned as head coach in 2024 after a previous spell in charge in 2013, and he had led South Korea to the 2026 World Cup by going unbeaten in qualification. That makes the group-stage exit harder to separate from the path that preceded it: a coach who got the team to the tournament without losing in qualifying leaving after the team could not survive the opening round.
For South Korea, the next step is not a match but a review of how the campaign was run, from the appointment decision to the use of public money. The ministry now has a mandate to examine the result, and Hong Myung-bo has already said he will not stay to manage the fallout.
