South Korea captain Son Heung-min returns home at Incheon airport on Wednesday. (Yonhap) South Korea captain Son Heung-min and veteran midfielder Lee Jae-sung were left out of the starting lineup for the team's final World Cup group-stage match against South Africa over internal disagreements about an interview boycott, a lawmaker claimed, citing a whistleblower report.Rep. Jin Jong-oh of the main opposition People Power Party said Thursday that the report, received through the Korea Football Association, alleges divisions within the squad deepened over whether to continue a media interview boycott. Ultimately, this lead to Son and Lee's exclusion from the starting lineup for the June 24 match against South Africa. South Korea lost the game and was eliminated from the tournament.The boycott began after a broadcaster accidentally livestreamed a conversation among reporters at the team's training camp in Guadalajara on June 7. In the recording, several reporters were heard mocking Son over his military service exemption.The incident prompted the players to boycott post-match media interviews after South Korea's World Cup victory against the Czech Republic.According to Rep. Jin Jong-oh, a former Olympic shooter-turned-politician, the whistleblower alleged Son and Lee had wanted to continue the boycott. Other players argued the team should resume media interviews during the World Cup.The report further alleged that Lee, a close friend of Son, urged the KFA to continue the boycott. After Korea’s match against Mexico, however, then-coach Hong Myung-bo reportedly told players in the locker room to resume speaking to reporters.After the match against Mexico, players began speaking to reporters again, though neither Son nor Lee gave interviews. Lee was reportedly unavailable because he had been selected for doping control.The KFA said it discussed when players would resume media interviews, but denied the issue affected team selection.