South Korea’s World Cup campaign ended not with a dramatic knockout round heartbreak, but with something arguably worse: a quiet group-stage exit and a political firestorm back home.
Head coach Hong Myung-bo resigned on June 28, 2026, taking full responsibility for the national team’s elimination from the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The team managed just three points across their group matches, with the final nail coming via a 1-0 loss to South Africa. Hours later, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung described himself as “utterly baffled” by the result and called for an official government investigation into what went wrong.
From the pitch to the presidential office
President Lee directed the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to investigate the reasons behind the team’s poor showing. But the probe isn’t just about tactics or player selection. It’s also targeting the Korean Football Association’s hiring processes, specifically the decisions that led to Hong Myung-bo’s appointment as head coach in the first place.
The KFA was already facing scrutiny over its leadership and decision-making practices before the World Cup even kicked off. Controversies surrounding team management and player performance expectations had been simmering for months. The group-stage exit just turned up the heat to a boil.
