South Korea's rival parties united Saturday in calling for a sweeping overhaul of the Korea Football Association and raising questions over head coach Hong Myung-bo's responsibility after the national team failed to advance to the round of 32 at the World Cup in North and Central America.
Rep. Cho Kye-won of the Democratic Party, who served on the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee in the first half of the term, said on Facebook, "I waited anxiously, but in the end Korea failed to reach the round of 32 at the North and Central America World Cup," adding that "a major operation on Korean football is desperately needed." Rep. Park Beom-kye of the Democratic Party also said, "I hoped they would reach the round of 32 out of minimum patriotism," noting that the team "showed a textbook case that Korean football needs reconstruction, not remodeling."
In the People Power Party, criticism continued toward Hong's leadership and the Korea Football Association. Rep. Joo Jin-woo of the People Power Party called it "a disaster of Hong Myung-bo's lack of leadership," pointing out that "he silenced players with authoritarian tactics, kept Son Heung-min on the bench, and isolated forwards with an outdated three-back formation."
Rep. Jin Jong-oh, a former national shooting team member, stressed, "The evaluation of results must be carried out through cool-headed analysis, not emotion. Only then can we avoid repeating the same mistakes and move toward a stronger Korean football." He added, "The coach at the center of that responsibility must also take responsibility for the results." He continued, "Coach Hong, thank you for your hard work. Now, I hope you will lay down the baton for a new leap forward in Korean football."
Rep. Kim Seung-soo, the People Power Party's chief deputy floor leader who served on the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee in the first half of the term, said, "There are calls for a structural overhaul of the Korea Football Association over the national team's failure to advance to the round of 32 at the 2026 North and Central America World Cup," adding that "the incompetence, irresponsibility and obstinacy of the Korea Football Association and coach Hong have come back as a dismal report card." He then criticized, "This is the time for a sweeping reform on the level of dissolving the Korea Football Association."
