New York [US], June 29 : Hong Myung-bo stepped down as South Korea's head coach on Sunday following the team's disappointing group-stage exit from the FIFA World Cup.
Hong announced his resignation at the team's training camp in Guadalajara after Saturday's results confirmed that South Korea had failed to qualify for the Round of 32, missing out on a place among the tournament's eight best third-placed teams.
"Today, I wish to step down as head coach of the South Korean national football team. Accepting this role was never an easy decision for me," Hong Myung-bo said as per Reuters.
"However, once I made that decision, I did not consider any other reasons. I believed my only task was to fulfil the responsibility entrusted to me to the end," he added.
Hong was appointed in July 2024 as the long-term successor to Juergen Klinsmann and guided South Korea to a record-extending 11th consecutive FIFA World Cup appearance.
Expectations were high for a South Korean side boasting stars such as Son Heung-min, Lee Kang-in and Kim Min-jae, with many backing them to progress from a group featuring co-hosts Mexico, the Czech Republic and South Africa.
The Koreans started with a 2-1 win over the Czechs, but losses to Mexico and South Africa left them needing results in other groups to go their way to progress to the next phase of the competition.