Hong Myung-bo Resigns Without Taking Questions, Marking Second 'Dishonorable Exit'

[Anchor]

Hong Myung-bo, head coach of the South Korean national football team, has stepped down, taking responsibility for the team's poor performance in the North and Central America World Cup. He holds the dubious distinction of being the first coach in Korean football history to be given two opportunities to lead the team in a World Cup, only to resign before the end of his contract both times.

Reporter Lee Jung-chan has the story.

[Reporter]

Dressed in dark clothing, Coach Hong Myung-bo stood at the press conference, bowed his head, and read a two-minute statement announcing his resignation.

[Hong Myung-bo/Head Coach, National Football Team: I sincerely apologize to the people of this nation. Today, I intend to step down from my position as head coach of the South Korean national football team. I ultimately failed to deliver the results you expected. The responsibility for this lies entirely with me as the coach.]

He did not take any questions and avoided specific comments regarding the background of what led to the "worst possible outcome."

[Hong Myung-bo/Head Coach, National Football Team: I cannot say that all my decisions were always correct. However, the standard for every decision I made was always Korean football. I will sincerely cheer for our national team to grow back into a team that can receive the trust and love of the people once again.]

With this, Coach Hong, the only person to have led the national team in two separate World Cups, leaves in a "dishonorable exit" with time remaining on his contract, suffering the humiliation of being eliminated in the group stage once again, just as he was in the Brazil tournament 12 years ago.

The players had to split into several groups to find available flights, making for a somber journey home.

Local fans and Korean residents, who had passionately cheered for our players from the very first day of their arrival, offered warm words of comfort until the very last moment,

[Mexico loves you.]

but the players only offered a light greeting before walking away with heavy hearts.

Ultimately, South Korean football now finds itself in the "worst possible situation," with both the association president and the head coach gone, forced to start everything over just six months before the Asian Cup.

Reported by Hwang In-seok | Video by Park Ki-deok | Graphics by Hwang Se-yeon
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.