"Congratulations, Mr. President!"
President Lee Jae-myung, on a tour of Europe, received a surprise cake in Italy celebrating the South Korean national football team's first win at the 2026 World Cup in North and Central America.
According to the Presidential Office on Friday, President Lee, who is on a state visit to Italy, received a celebratory cake prepared by the hotel at his accommodation in Rome on Thursday.
The cake was inscribed with "KOREA 2 : CZECHIA 1" along with the message "Congratulations, Mr. President."
A senior Presidential Office official met with reporters at the Rome press center that day and said, "While we were having a post-event reception following the Korea-Italy business roundtable, the hotel had prepared a cake." The official added, "The hotel had made it because Korea won the football match 2-1, and it felt really good."
Earlier, the South Korean national football team, led by manager Hong Myung-bo, made an encouraging start by defeating the Czech Republic 2-1 in their opening Group A match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, held in Guadalajara, Mexico, that day.
Korea conceded the opening goal to Ladislav Krejci (Wolverhampton) in the 59th minute, but Hwang In-beom (Feyenoord) leveled the score in the 67th minute, receiving a pass from Lee Kang-in to bring the match back to square one.
Then in the 80th minute, Oh Hyun-gyu (Besiktas), who came on in place of Son Heung-min (Los Angeles FC), scored the go-ahead winner with an assist from Hwang In-beom, securing Korea's first win.
The victory also became a topic of conversation with Italy's leader. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni told President Lee during their summit, "Congratulations on the South Korean national football team's win in their first match at the World Cup in North and Central America." President Lee responded, "It's a shame, as we should have met Italy in the World Cup finals."
Italy, a traditional football powerhouse with four World Cup titles, has failed to qualify for the finals three consecutive times, including this World Cup in North and Central America.
Meanwhile, Korea will play its second group-stage match against Mexico at 10 a.m. on the 19th at the same venue, followed by a third match against South Africa at 10 a.m. on the 25th at Monterrey Stadium.
