Hong Myung-bo, Despite Appointment Controversy, "No Intention to Resign... My Role Is to Strengthen the Team"

"There Seems to Have Been an Administrative Error, but No Special Privileges Were Given"

Hong Myung-bo, the head coach of the national soccer team who has been embroiled in controversy over fairness during the appointment process, firmly stated that he has "no intention of resigning."

Coach Hong appeared as a witness at the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee's urgent inquiry on the 24th and responded to criticisms that the procedural legitimacy of the appointment process was compromised by saying, "If the results are not good, I will eventually be dismissed," adding, "Therefore, I believe my role is to make our team really strong during the remaining period."

While acknowledging that there was an administrative error during the coaching appointment process, Coach Hong insisted that there was no favoritism or unfairness. He said, "Until now, I was in a position where I could not see the minutes of the (Strengthening Committee) meetings, but from what I heard today, I think there was no problem up to the 10th meeting. Although I am not exactly sure about the details, I suspect there was an administrative error in the 11th meeting."

He continued, "I can partially admit that there were no administrative procedures such as appointment letters when the chairman of the (Strengthening Committee) was replaced," but added, "However, up to the 10th meeting, I believe there was absolutely no problem with any statements made by the former chairman Jeong Haeseong or the roles of the committee members."

He also said, "Having experienced the position of executive director once, I can say from that experience that I do not think there was any unfairness or favoritism," and explained, "I was appointed as head coach because I was ranked first on the Strengthening Committee's list."

[Photo by Yonhap News]

He then explained that his visit to the National Assembly during the 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup Asian third qualifying round was to alleviate public suspicion even a little. The national team is scheduled to play an away match against Jordan on the 10th of next month and a home match against Iraq on the 15th.

When the urgent inquiry was briefly paused, Coach Hong met with reporters and explained his reason for responding to the National Assembly's summons, saying, "Originally, this is the time I should be in Europe. I needed to check on some players there," but added, "I thought it was not a bad idea to talk about what I know to address the public's curiosity."

Coach Hong was appointed after former coach J?rgen Klinsmann was dismissed in February due to poor performance at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Qatar Asian Cup. Final candidates for the national team head coach position included David Wagner and Gus Poyet, but Coach Hong was selected over all competitors as the national team manager. It was later revealed that unlike the two other candidates, Coach Hong did not undergo interviews or presentations during the appointment process, raising suspicions of unfairness.