'Utterly baffled' South Korea president orders probe as coach quits following World Cup exit

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has blamed the country's early World Cup exit on favouritism in personnel appointments and blasted coach Hong Myung-bo, while demanding a sports ministry-led investigation into the national team's performance.

"I am not just taken aback by this unexpected outcome, I am utterly baffled," Lee posted on X on Sunday (28 June), 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 prioritised over competence, and an incompetent person is selected as a leader, the outcome is as clear as day."

Successive losses to Mexico and South Africa left South Korea third in Group A, outside the eight best third-placed teams advancing to the round of 32.

Hong's re-appointment as national team manager in 2024 had already led to allegations of favouritism and an opaque hiring process from Korean media, all of which Hong denied.

"The reason such botched appointments — which fail to distinguish between public and private interests and prioritise personal gain over the public good — are possible is that it is impossible or difficult to monitor, check, and hold those with appointment authority accountable," Lee wrote.

A petition to dismiss Hong posted on the website of the national assembly on Thursday quickly gained the signatures it required for an initial review, while social media posts showing shops with signs banning Hong from the premises have gone viral in South Korea.

"The failure to qualify... which has left the public feeling disheartened, appears to be the result of organisational and personnel failures," Lee said.

"I ask that the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism thoroughly investigate the exact circumstances of this incident, analyze its causes, and develop measures to prevent recurrence and ensure improvement."

Hong quits as South Korea boss after World Cup exit

Hong Myung-bo resigned as head coach of South Korea on Sunday following the country's group-stage exit from the World Cup.

Hong made the announcement at the team's training camp in Guadalajara after results on Saturday meant the Koreans would not advance to the last 32 as one of the eight third-placed finishers in the group phase.

"I would like to sincerely apologise to the citizens who have loved Korean football and always supported the national team," Hong said.

"Today, I wish to step down as head coach of the South Korean national football team. Accepting this role was never an easy decision for me.

"However, once I made that decision, I did not consider any other reasons. I believed my only task was to fulfil the responsibility entrusted to me to the end."

Hong was appointed in July 2024 as the long-term replacement for Juergen Klinsmann and steered the country to an 11th successive World Cup appearance.

Expectations were high that a Korean squad featuring Son Heung-min, Lee Kang-in and Kim Min-jae would advance to the knockout rounds from a group featuring co-hosts Mexico, Czech Republic and South Africa.

The Koreans started with a 2-1 win over the Czechs but losses to Mexico and South Africa left them needing results in other groups to go their way to progress to the next phase of the competition.

"I failed to deliver the results the public expected," said Hong. "The responsibility lies entirely with me."