South Korea president Lee Jae Myung is calling for an investigation into the country’s poor World Cup showing and ensuing resignation of coach Hong Myung-bo.
South Korea did not advance out of Group A while earning three points in three matches. South Korea beat the Czech Republic and lost to Mexico and South Africa.
Lee said he was “utterly baffled” by the showing and questioned why Hong was selected as coach.
“I am not just taken aback by this unexpected outcome, I am utterly baffled,” Lee posted on X on Sunday, reacting to the team’s elimination despite being widely expected to advance from a relatively easy group.
“Once again, it has been proven that personnel decisions are everything. When ’us versus them’ is prioritized over competence, and an incompetent person is selected as a leader, the outcome is as clear as day.”
Hong, a former star defender for the country, said Sunday that he was stepping down. His decision came one day after South Korea failed to land one of the eight spots for teams that finished third in group play.
“It was not an easy decision for me to take this role, but once I took it, I thought about nothing else except being responsible until the very last moment,” the 57-year-old Hong said.
Lee said the amount of taxpayer funds used for the squad’s participation in the World Cup demands a deep review. He called for the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to investigate and said the government should reform the country’s sports administration.
“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, analyze its causes, and develop thorough measures for preventing recurrence and improvement.
“We will swiftly push forward with reforms to sports administration to ensure such a thing never happens again.”
Hong played in four World Cups (1990, 1994, 1998, 2002) during his stellar playing career that saw him score 10 goals in 136 international matches.
He previously served as South Korea’s manager from 2013-14 but resigned after the team’s elimination (0-2-1 in group play) from the 2014 World Cup.
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