South Korea’s World Cup campaign has descended into a full-blown political controversy after President Lee Jae-myung publicly criticised the country’s football leadership following the national team’s group-stage exit from the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Describing the elimination as a consequence of poor leadership and flawed appointments, Lee called for a sweeping review of the country’s football administration, insisting that the failure exposed deep-rooted problems within the system.
“Once again, it has been proven that appointments determine everything. If competence is ignored and unqualified individuals are placed in leadership positions, the outcome is entirely predictable,” Lee said in a statement posted on social media.
The President also directed the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to carry out a comprehensive assessment of the national team’s performance and the overall football management structure. He apologised to supporters for the disappointing campaign and pledged that reforms would be introduced to prevent a repeat of the setback.
“I apologise to the public for this disappointment. Reforms will be implemented so that this does not happen again,” he said.
The fallout intensified after South Korea head coach Hong Myung-bo announced his resignation, taking full responsibility for the Taeguk Warriors’ failure to reach the knockout stage. He confirmed his decision on Sunday at the team’s training base in Guadalajara, Mexico.
“I failed to achieve the results that were expected, and the responsibility lies entirely with me,” Hong said.
South Korea’s latest World Cup disappointment has reignited concerns over the direction of the nation’s football programme. Despite reaching the semi-finals on home soil in 2002, the team has now suffered another painful group-stage elimination, raising fresh questions over its long-term competitiveness.
The Taeguk Warriors began their Group A campaign with a 2-1 victory over the Czech Republic but suffered back-to-back defeats to Mexico and South Africa, ending their hopes of progressing to the last 16.
