Hong Myung‑bo has resigned as head coach of South Korea's men's national football team after they failed to advance to the World Cup knockout stage.
The team had hoped to qualify as one of the best third‑placed teams, but that hope was crushed on Saturday.
The early exit sparked widespread criticism at home, with President Lee Jae Myung calling for an investigation into the team's disappointing performance.
Hong apologized to fans on Sunday, saying the responsibility "rests entirely with me as head coach."
Ranked 32nd in FIFA's men's rankings and led by star player Son Heung‑min, South Korea recorded two losses and one win at the World Cup, finishing behind Mexico and South Africa.
Fans blamed Hong, who has coached the team for the past two years. On Monday, the national team's official fan club Red Devils issued a statement demanding Hong to "kneel before the entire nation and leave the football world forever."
Hong announced his resignation at a news conference in Mexico, saying "we didn’t deliver the results that our fans expected". "Even though I am leaving the national team, I am not abandoning Korean football altogether," he added.
President Lee expressed confusion and bewilderment at the unexpected outcome, calling the early exit "a failure of organisation and personnel" and accusing favoritism and cronyism of prioritising incompetence.
Hong’s appointment was controversial from the start; the former defender had captained the team to a 2002 World Cup semi‑final, but as a coach in 2014 they failed to advance beyond the group stage. Many fans criticized the KFA’s decision to favour a domestic figure over foreign candidates.
Police are monitoring for security threats after a death threat was made online against Hong following his return to Korea over the weekend.
