South Korea coach resigns after president condemns ‘incompetent people’ in World Cup exit

• Korean president Lee lashes out and apologises to nation

• Son Heung-min omission against South Africa backfires

Hong Myung-bo resigned on Sunday as South Korea’s head coach, a day after his side’s group-stage exit from the World Cup and after condemnation from the country’s president.

The 57-year-old former captain, in his second stint as coach, oversaw an early World Cup departure for the second time to go with the failure in 2014.

South Korea were expected to get out of a Group A that included the co-hosts Mexico as well as South Africa and Czechia.

But they https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jun/25/south-africa-south-korea-world-cup-match-report">lost 1-0 against South Africa and https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jun/19/mexico-south-korea-world-cup-2026-group-a-match-report">Mexico, and finished on three points, their only success a https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jun/12/south-korea-czechia-world-cup-2026-group-a-match-report">2-1 win against Czechia.