[Sportschosun reporter Jung An-ji] Actor Han Jeong-soo once again delivered a sharp rebuke aimed at head coach Hong Myung-bo.
On the 29th, Han Jeong-soo posted on his social networking service, "Since you said you were volunteering, if you have even a little conscience, let's at least give back the salary. If you're a human being..."
He then added, "If you're a human being, you should at least keep the minimum of your conscience," and directly criticized Hong by leaving hashtags such as "minimum," "conscience," "salary," and "return."
This was not the first time Han Jeong-soo had spoken critically about Hong Myung-bo.
After the South Korea national football team lost 1-0 to South Africa on the 25th, he wrote, "Is Hong Myung-bo on the South Africa team? They played the worst game with the best players. Because of Hong Myung-bo, I started hating football. He keeps blaming the players until the very end."
He also continued his criticism of the Korea Football Association. On the 28th, Han Jeong-soo argued, "The one who saw this whole situation coming and stepped away first. He is the real culprit," and added, "The real culprits are the president and the Korea Football Association," raising questions over the KFA's responsibility.
Meanwhile, the South Korea national football team suffered a shocking result at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, finishing with one win and two losses and dropping to third place in the group, which meant it failed to advance to the round of 32.
In response, Hong Myung-bo held a press conference in the early hours of the 29th at the team base camp in Guadalajara, Mexico, and said he intended to resign as head coach, taking responsibility for the team's failure to reach the knockout stage. He had taken charge of the national team in July 2024 and was under contract through the AFC Asian Cup in February 2027, but he stepped down with eight months left on the deal.
"We were ultimately unable to deliver the result that the public had hoped for. That responsibility lies entirely with me as the head coach," Hong Myung-bo said, bowing his head.
anjee85@sportschosun.com
