Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Choi Hwie-young said it was time to create a fundamental alternative following the South Korean national football team's elimination from the group stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North and Central America.
Earlier, Chung Mong-gyu, who recently won a fourth term as president of the Korea Football Association, said last month he would step down after the World Cup, and head coach Hong Myung-bo's early departure is also expected. However, it remains questionable whether simply replacing the association president and the coach will provide a solution for Korean football.
Right after the national team's group stage elimination was confirmed Friday, Choi said through his social media account: "It is time to identify where things started to go wrong, what was at the root of holding us back, to organize the countless discussions we have had over the years, and to create a fundamental alternative." He added, "The government will step up and take care of everything it can do until the day the hearts of the people come together again," and "Korean football has fallen, but it will surely rise again."
Choi wrote, "It is so disappointing. I was so upset that I didn't know what to do, and I just blankly stared at the sky," adding, "Korean football has fallen into a quagmire, and now we must pull ourselves together and start again from the bottom."
Meanwhile, the national football team led by Hong finished third in Group A in this tournament with one win and two losses and three points. The team failed to secure a spot in the round of 32, awarded to the top eight teams among the third-place finishers in each group, and was ultimately eliminated.
