Hong Myung-bo, the man who once captained South Korea’s legendary 2002 World Cup run, is now receiving death threats for failing to replicate that magic as head coach. The 2026 World Cup ended early for the Taegeuk Warriors, and the fallout has been nothing short of extraordinary.
Hong resigned on June 28, 2026, just days after South Korea was eliminated in the group stage. What followed was a scene that looked less like a sports homecoming and more like a political crisis: over 160 police officers deployed to Incheon Airport, angry fans chanting “get out,” and the President of South Korea personally ordering an investigation into what went wrong.
A group stage collapse
South Korea finished third in Group A. That’s a polite way of saying they were knocked out with one win and two losses.
The lone bright spot was a 2-1 victory over the Czech Republic. But losses to both Mexico and South Africa sealed the team’s fate, sending them home before the knockout rounds even began.
