South Korean national football team head coach Hong Myung-bo has personally explained the reason for excluding 'Captain' Son Heung-min from the starting lineup.

Coach Hong placed Oh Hyeon-gyu as the starting striker instead of Son Heung-min for the final Group A match of the World Cup against South Africa, held at Monterrey Stadium in Guadalupe, Mexico.

Son Heung-min, who has competed in every World Cup since the 2014 Brazil tournament, will start a match on the bench for the first time.

In an official interview with FIFA before the match, Coach Hong explained the reason for Son's exclusion by saying, "I looked at the opponent's physical condition overall."

Coach Hong stated, "I judged that coming on in the second half would be much better for both the team and the player himself, so we decided he would start on the bench."

He added, "Although the probability is high, you never know how a match will unfold, so we will do our best until the end," and expressed confidence, saying, "The players will perform well according to the model we prepared."

Major media outlets around the world are also reacting strongly to Son Heung-min's exclusion from the starting lineup.

BBC Sport used the word "weird," commenting, "It feels a bit weird to see South Korea line up without Son Heung-min."

They further noted, "The former Tottenham forward had started 12 consecutive World Cup matches for his country, and this is the first time since 2014 that South Korea has played a World Cup finals match without him in the starting lineup."

ESPN also wrote, "Coach Hong made a shocking choice to leave Son Heung-min out of the starting lineup for the match against South Africa."

Reported by Kim Ji-wook | Video by Kim Na-on | Graphics by Yook Do-hyun | Produced by SBS Digital News