Son Heung-min after South Korea's match against South Africa on Wednesday. (Yonhap) South Korea's hopes of reaching the round of 32 at the World Cup ended Sunday.The final blow came when the Democratic Republic of the Congo defeated Uzbekistan 3-1 in the final Group K match.DR Congo finished the group stage with one win, one draw and one loss, earning four points and moving into third place in Group K.The result pushed South Korea down to ninth among the third-placed teams, just outside the eight qualifying spots, with no chance of moving up.South Korea finished third in Group A on Thursday with one win and two losses, earning three points.It means South Korea failed to advance despite opening the tournament with a 2-1 win over the Czech Republic. Back-to-back 1-0 defeats to Mexico and South Africa left the team unable to secure a place in the round of 32 as the second-placed team.Under the expanded 48-team format, the top two teams from each group advance automatically, while the eight best third-placed teams also move on to the knockout stage.That left South Korea relying on results from other groups, with fans hoping the slim mathematical chance of qualification would hold.The squad completed its final training session at its base camp in Guadalajara and is scheduled to hold a closing press conference Monday before returning home.