Former South Korean national soccer team coach Hong Myung-bo, who resigned last week after a disappointing performance at the FIFA World Cup, reportedly fled the country to Los Angeles on Thursday just days after arriving to an angry mob demanding he return his salary.
South Korea existed the once-in-four-years tournament last week before the beginning of the “knockout” rounds after losing two of its three matches in the group stage. South Korean soccer fans expected their team to perform at a much higher level as several players on the team are members of high-level European soccer clubs and the other members of the group – Mexico, South Africa, and Czechia – were considered beatable opponents.
Public sentiment has almost entirely blamed Hong for the failure, who was a highly unpopular choice to coach the team when chosen in 2024. He is the only person to have ever coached the South Korean team in two non-consecutive World Cup tournaments, also resulting in a disappointing performance in 2014. Many soccer fans, journalists, and others accused the Korean Football Federation (KFA) of inappropriately choosing Hong over superior foreign coaches vying for the job.
Politicians across the political spectrum have also condemned Hong, including South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, who described him as “incompetent” in an infuriated social media post following the team’s return to the country.
On Thursday, Hong boarded a plane to California at Incheon International Airport. Before departing, journalists surrounded him demanding answers about the failed World Cup bid. He denied that any personal discord among the players or with himself was responsible for the losses. He also added cryptically that he had “something to say, but that story will come out someday.”
The conservative South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo reported on Thursday that Hong’s immediate family is believed to already be Los Angeles. It is unclear at press time if Hong plans to return to his home country in the immediate future or what his visa status is in the United States. Korean outlets reported that Hong was confirmed to arrive in California as of Thursday, but apparently used a private exit to avoid journalists and other observers upon leaving the airport.
The quiet arrival appears to have been planned in response to the rowdy reception Hong and eight members of the national soccer team received when arriving home at Incheon on Tuesday. The team reportedly split their arrivals and planned to land in South Korea between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. local time to discourage the formation of angry mobs, but a group estimated to have been of between 50 to 100 people were waiting for them at their arrival gate, anyway, jeering and booing Hong.
The crowd yelled slogans such as “Hong Myung-bo, get out of Korea!” and “Korean football is dead!” Some went out of their way to shout “keep your head up!” at the players, distinguishing them from their disgust with Hong.
Hong resigned before arriving in South Korea, offering an effusive apology to soccer fans.
“We didn’t deliver the results that our fans expected, and the responsibility rests entirely with me as head coach,” he said in his resignation remarks.
His resignation did little to quell national anger, as soccer fans demanded government action and small businesses nationwide posted signs on their doors specifically banning Hong from patronizing their shops and restaurants.
Hong has long faced significant opposition as a head coach for the national soccer team, prompting the National Assembly to call him in and senior KFA officials in 2024 to face an interrogation on the hiring process. While those interviews did not result in any government action, Lee, the nation’s president, suggested on Sunday that he would consider weaponizing the government to investigate Hong and ensure that such a situation does not repeat itself.
“When you put an incompetent person in charge by prioritizing any personal connections over their abilities, then it’s easy to predict how things will play out,” Lee wrote in a social media post. “Such a nonsensical personnel decision that puts personal interests ahead of the common good only happens because it’s impossible, or at least difficult, to keep the person responsible for these decisions in check.”
“Since participating in a World Cup requires a lot of taxpayers’ money and other national resources, I would like to ask the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to identify and analyze the cause of the problem and prepare measures to prevent recurrences,” the president added.
Lee also personally apologized on behalf of the soccer team.
Multiple Korean news outlets reported on Thursday that Hong is now facing civil complaints from the general public.
“A civic group filed a complaint with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency accusing the former coach, Korea Football Association President Chung Mong-gyu, and former association technical director Lee Im-seng of coercion, intimidation, obstruction of business, and breach of trust in the course of duty,” Chosun reported.