From Envy After Czech Win to Mockery: Chinese Reaction to South Korea's World Cup Exit

As South Korea's elimination from the group stage of the North and Central America World Cup was confirmed, Chinese media outlets were quick to report the news.

On local social media, the phrase "South Korea eliminated" even climbed into the top 10 trending search terms, drawing significant attention.

However, the majority of the posts were filled with mockery and pity.

Comments included, "South Korea has become the first among Asia's football powerhouses to book their flight home," and "It is a case of 'reaping what you sow' after their arrogance following their first win."

Some even pointed out that the team never had the skill to advance to the tournament in the first place.

Some Chinese netizens identified the 1-0 loss to South Africa as the decisive failure, arguing that the team paid the price for failing to capitalize on their opportunities.

While there were some opinions that South Korea's early exit—despite being one of Asia's strongest teams—demonstrates the high level and fierce competition of world football, these were in the minority.

This reaction is a 180-degree turn from their stance on June 12, when they acknowledged South Korean football's prowess and looked on with envy following the victory against the Czech Republic.

The news of head coach Hong Myung-bo's resignation was also reported quickly.

In China, the national football team has long been the target of criticism and mockery for failing to qualify for the World Cup for 24 years since their first appearance in 2002.

Composite photos and videos comparing the national team to sea cucumbers—suggesting that while they eat the healthy sea cucumber, their performance on the pitch is as limp as the creature—have even trended on social media.

With the South Korean national team, which had been considered a level above China, eliminated early, the target of their mockery has simply shifted to the South Korean team.

On the other hand, regarding the Japanese national team, they have been analyzing recent records and historical win-loss stats against Brazil, expressing anticipation that Japan has a high chance of performing well in their Round of 32 match against Brazil.

(Video Editing: Park Chun-bae)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.