Ankara: South Korea head coach Hong Myung-bo resigned on Sunday, a day after the country's elimination from the 2026 FIFA World Cup, according to the Yonhap news agency. The 57-year-old announced his decision at a news conference in Zapopan, western Mexico, where the national team had been training.

According to Anadolu Agency, Hong was appointed for a second tenure in July 2024 and was under contract through the 2027 Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup. However, the team's performance in the World Cup failed to meet expectations. South Korea finished third in Group A, securing three points with one win and two losses. Unfortunately, this result was not sufficient to place them among the eight best third-placed teams across the tournament's 12 groups, leading to their elimination on Saturday.

This is not the first time Hong has faced challenges in leading the national team to success on the world stage. During his initial stint as head coach at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, he also could not guide South Korea beyond the group stage.

Earlier on Sunday, President Lee Jae Myung commented on the team's defeat, describing it as a reflection of "factional loyalty." He expressed concerns over prioritizing loyalty over competence in leadership roles. "In the end, it's proven once again that personnel is everything. When factional loyalty is valued over competence and incompetent people are appointed as leaders, the outcome is plain to see," Lee wrote on X.

President Lee further emphasized the significant public resources required for World Cup participation and called on the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to investigate the reasons behind the team's failure. He urged the ministry to develop measures to prevent a recurrence of such outcomes and announced plans for nationwide reforms in sports administration.