"I am not only surprised by this unexpected result, but completely bewildered." Those are the words of South Korean President Lee Jae Myung — not a football pundit, not a fan on social media. The president. That's how badly the 2026 World Cup went for South Korea.
Hong Myung-bo resigned the moment the group-stage elimination was confirmed, taking full responsibility after a campaign that produced one win and two losses — including a 1-0 defeat to 60th-ranked South Africa that nobody can adequately explain. But his resignation hasn't closed anything. If anything, it opened the door wider.
President Lee has ordered the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to investigate how the coaching staff was selected in the first place, citing the use of "significant national taxpayer funds" in World Cup participation. That's not a standard post-tournament review. That's a formal inquiry with political weight behind it.
The appointment was controversial before a ball was kicked
The controversy didn't start in the group stage. It started when the KFA handed Hong the job for a second time in 2024 — a manager whose first stint ended with zero wins at the 2014 World Cup. KFA president Chung Mong-gyu reportedly preferred a foreign manager and actively tried to block Hong's appointment, only to be overruled by other executives. That internal fracture never healed, and now everyone is pointing fingers.
South Korea went into this tournament unbeaten through qualification and entered Group A as the second-highest-ranked side. Son Heung-min, one of the most decorated Asian players ever, was in the squad. They beat the Czech Republic in game one and looked set to progress. Then Hong dropped Son — the captain — for the must-win South Africa match. South Korea lost 1-0. It backfired as badly as a gamble can.
What's waiting for them back home
The squad isn't returning together. They're flying back in separate groups, and there will be no airport homecoming event — a decision that speaks volumes given that a homecoming was organized after the equally poor 2014 campaign, which also ended with one draw and two losses. This time, the atmosphere is different.
South Korean police have been alerted to a reported death threat against Hong, with a social media post allegedly linked to a 41-year-old American citizen. Restaurants and shops in South Korea have posted signs banning him from entering. The national mood has crossed from disappointment into something uglier.
For anyone tracking South Korean football's trajectory — or the KFA's governance more broadly — the odds of a clean, quiet rebuild just took a serious hit. A presidential investigation into coaching appointments sets a precedent that will hang over every future selection decision. Hong said he "made every decision with Korean football in mind." Whether that's accepted or not, the inquiry will decide what actually happened — and who's really responsible.
