An investigation will be opened into the circumstances surrounding the elimination of the country’s national team in the group stage of the World Cup.
The president ordered the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to investigate the causes of the campaign and present measures to reform the country’s sports administration. Lee made the statement in a social media post on X this Sunday (June 28, 2026).
Coach Hong Myung-bo also left command of the team after the result. The decision increases pressure on the management of South Korean football and reinforces the debate about the use of tax payers’ resources allocated to the sport.
The president stated that he was “completely perplexed” with the elimination and declared that the investigation should identify responsibilities and establish measures to avoid further failures of the team in international competitions.
The elimination was confirmed on Saturday (June 27), after South Korea finished the group stage with 3 points. The team beat the Czech Republic, lost to Mexico, one of the host countries, and to South Africa. Even though it was the 2nd best-placed team in the FIFA rankings among the group’s members, it failed to advance to the round of 16 or among the 8 best third-placed teams.
CHANGES IN ADMINISTRATION
In his statement, Lee emphasized the state support for the team’s participation in international competitions. He also apologized to fans for the campaign and declared that the government will promote changes in sports administration to prevent a similar situation from happening again.
The president also criticized the process of choosing Hong Myung-bo to head the national team. Without directly citing the South Korean Football Federation, he stated that competence did not receive the necessary priority when choosing the coach.
Lee also stated that there are difficulties in monitoring and holding accountable authorities in charge of appointments and stated that there was a failure to separate public and private interests.
Hong announced his departure this Sunday (June 28). The former defender, who played 136 games for the South Korean national team, returned to coaching in 2024 and qualified the team for the World Cup undefeated in the Qualifiers. After his elimination, he declared that he accepted full responsibility for the campaign.
