South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Sunday blamed the national team’s early exit from the FIFA World Cup on favouritism in personnel appointments, criticised head coach Hong Myung-bo and called for a government investigation into the campaign.
“I am not just taken aback by this unexpected outcome, I am utterly baffled,” Lee wrote in a post on X after South Korea were eliminated despite being widely expected to progress from Group A.
“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.”
Back-to-back defeats by Mexico and South Africa left South Korea third in Group A and outside the eight best third-placed teams that advanced to the Round of 32.
Hong’s reappointment as national team coach in 2024 had already sparked allegations in South Korean media of favouritism and a lack of transparency in the hiring process, accusations he denied.
Lee said weak oversight had allowed flawed appointments to persist.
“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,” he wrote.
Public criticism of Hong has intensified since the team’s elimination. A petition calling for his dismissal posted on South Korea’s National Assembly website this week quickly gathered enough signatures to qualify for an initial review, while images circulating on social media showed businesses displaying signs banning the coach from their premises.
“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, analyse its causes, and develop measures to prevent recurrence and ensure improvement.”
