[Sportschosun Kim Jun-seok] As the South Korea national football team was left disappointed after being eliminated in the group stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, a line Shin Dong-yup delivered to coach Hong Myung-bo on SNL Korea 12 years ago — "Never become the national team coach" — is drawing renewed attention online.
Recently, posts titled "Hong Myung-bo satire from 12 years ago on SNL" have been appearing one after another on online communities and SNS, attracting public interest.
After news of Hong's resignation spread, more people began searching for the old broadcast clip, leading to what many are calling a "pilgrimage."
The scene appeared in the 2014 SNL Korea segment "Reply 1980." It satirized Hong Myung-bo, who was facing criticism from the public after the team was eliminated in the group stage of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Shin Dong-yup played Hong Myung-bo from the future, while Kim Min-gyo portrayed him as a child.
Shin Dong-yup told the young Hong Myung-bo about his future, saying, "You will become Asia's best defender and also captain of the national team."
But when the young Hong Myung-bo said, "After retiring as a player, I will become the national team coach," Shin Dong-yup suddenly turned serious and shouted, "No!"
He then repeated, "Never become the national team coach," and added, "If you really want to be a coach that badly, then stop at the Olympic team coach."
The satire did not end there. When his friends said, "If you become the national team coach later, pick me for the team too," the young Hong Myung-bo replied, "Okay, loyalty!" Shin Dong-yup then shot back, "If you can't even keep your principles to the end, don't say them out loud."
It was a jab at the controversy surrounding squad selection during the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
When the young Hong Myung-bo also asked, "If you do your best and still lose, won't you get fired?" Shin Dong-yup answered, "Apparently not?" drawing another laugh.
Hong Myung-bo earned recognition for his coaching ability by leading South Korea to its first-ever Olympic bronze medal in football at the 2012 Summer Olympics.
However, he later ended both the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2026 FIFA World Cup with the disappointment of group-stage elimination.
In the end, Hong held a press conference on the 29th and announced his resignation as national team coach, saying, "I was unable to deliver the results the public had hoped for."
narusi@sportschosun.com
