President Lee blames appointments for South Korea's World Cup flop

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung used his social‑media account to launch a scathing attack on the football federation following South Korea's failure to progress beyond the World Cup group stage. He singled out national team coach Myung‑Bo Hong and the governing board, accusing them of poor policy, opaque appointments and placing loyalty above competence. The team's inability to survive the opening round has sparked widespread disappointment across the nation. Lee argued that the sporting collapse stems directly from misguided decisions at the highest administrative levels. Lee wrote, “Ultimately it has been proven again that everything starts with the right appointments,” emphasizing the need for merit‑based selections. He added, “If you value loyalty over quality and install an incompetent leader, the outcome is predictable.”

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The president also condemned the lack of transparency and control in the way sport officials are appointed, saying personal interests often outweigh the public good. He linked the failed World Cup campaign to these organisational shortcomings. Lee stated, “Because a great amount of tax money and national resources are invested in a World Cup participation, a thorough investigation must determine what went wrong so it never happens again.” He called for an exhaustive review of the federation’s processes. In his post, Lee apologized to the South Korean public, expressing deep regret for the “incomprehensible” handling of the campaign. He pledged accelerated reforms within the sport’s governing bodies to prevent a repeat of the fiasco. The president’s remarks set the tone for an imminent overhaul of football administration in South Korea.