South Korea Coach and Ex-FA Chief Face Lawmakers After Shock World Cup Exit
Hong Myung-bo and Chung Mong-gyu were questioned over the team’s group-stage failure and alleged irregularities in football governance.
South Korea’s World Cup campaign collapsed in the group stage when they fell 1-0 to South Africa, a result that eliminated a side that needed only a draw to reach the last 32.
The defeat, following a 1-0 loss to hosts Mexico, came despite an opening 2-1 victory over the Czech Republic, and it sparked immediate recriminations. Coach Hong Myung-bo had dropped veteran captain Son Heung-min to the bench for the decisive fixture, a decision that enraged fans who jeered the 57-year-old upon the team’s return to Seoul. The widely touted “golden generation”, featuring Bayern Munich defender Kim Min-jae and former Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Lee Kang-in alongside Son, had entered the expanded 48-team tournament with high expectations, making the early exit all the more galling.
On Thursday, Hong and former Korea Football Association president Chung Mong-gyu were summoned as witnesses before the National Assembly’s sports committee, where they faced sharp interrogation over both the on-field failure and alleged governance flaws. Chung, who resigned on 6 July after thirteen years at the helm, said he had “done everything possible” and offered sincere apologies, while Hong stated he took “full responsibility” for results that fell short.
Lawmakers pressed the former coach on claims his 2024 appointment had been tainted by preferential treatment, pointing to reports that KFA recruiters travelled to his neighbourhood for opaque interviews. Hong maintained proper procedures were followed and denied seeking personal favours; he also rejected as incorrect a reported annual salary of 3.8 billion won (US$2.6 million) but declined to disclose his actual pay. Chung, meanwhile, rebuffed accusations that he favoured graduates of Korea University, noting only one of 25 coaches hired during his tenure came from that institution.
The hearing unfolded as the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism pursues a broader inquiry into the KFA’s governance. President Lee Jae-myung had earlier blamed “incompetent people” promoted through “loyalty and factionalism”, a statement that captured the depth of the footballing nation’s anger.
| Latin American press | −0.70 | critical |
|---|---|---|
| Arab Gulf press | −0.30 | critical |
| Sub-Saharan African press | −0.60 | critical |
South Korea must answer for its opaque management and sporting failure; the federation is accused.
It turns a sports defeat into a parliamentary investigation, legitimizing political intervention by emphasizing alleged irregularities.
It omits the fans' reaction at the airport and the benching of Son Heung-min, which are central in the African bloc.
The coach takes responsibility and Parliament investigates to clarify facts; the matter is routine administration.
It normalizes the event as administrative routine, dampening controversy through neutral, procedural language.
It omits the fan protests and harsher political criticism present in the Latin American bloc.
The coach is responsible for the disaster and fans are right to protest; his management is a personal failure.
It focuses blame on a single individual, the coach, making him the target of popular criticism through emotional details like the jeering at the airport.
It omits the parliamentary investigation into federation irregularities, which is central in the Latin American bloc.
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