South Korea president Lee Jae Myung says he is “utterly baffled” at the national team’s World Cup group-stage exit and called for the country’s sports ministry to investigate.President Lee appeared to criticise the South Korean football association’s (KFA) appointment of head coach Hong Myung-bo as he alleged that “competence” had not been prioritised when selecting a leader.South Korea’s World Cup exit was confirmed on Saturday as they failed to progress to the knockout stages as one of the eight-best third-place teams. Hong’s side took three points from their three games, winning against Czech Republic but losing to co-hosts Mexico and South Africa, despite being the second-highest ranked team in their group, to leave their fate out of their hands as the group stages concluded.In a lengthy statement posted on social media, the president cited the “significant” taxpayer funds used for the team’s participation, apologised for the “profound disappointment” caused to the public and called for the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to investigate what went wrong so the government can reform their sports administration.
“I am not just taken aback by this unexpected outcome—I am utterly baffled,” Lee wrote on X.He continued: “Given that significant national taxpayer funds and state support resources are invested even in World Cup participation, I ask that the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism thoroughly investigate the precise circumstances of this incident, analyse its causes, and develop thorough measures for preventing recurrence and improvement.Fans celebrate before South Africa-South Korea matchTomás Hill López-Menchero“We will swiftly push forward with reforms to sports administration to ensure such a thing never happens again.”Hong, considered one of Asia’s greatest football players, returned as South Korea head coach in 2024 after a previous spell in charge in 2013.Following his appointment, the sports ministry called on the KFA to review the decision as they alleged the association broke its own rules and they found it “difficult to see it as a reasonable interview process”, in quotes carried by Reuters. The KFA denied any wrongdoing.Lee alleged that “it is impossible or difficult to monitor, check, and hold those with appointment authority accountable”. He claimed in selecting a leader there had been a failure to distinguish between “public and private interests”.The KFA have been approached for comment by The Athletic. Hong led South Korea to the 2026 World Cup by going unbeaten in qualification, before their group-stage exit.
