Hong named new head coach
Hong Myung-bo, who led Ulsan HD FC to the past two K League 1 titles, was named the new head coach of the South Korean men’s national soccer team on Sunday.
The Korea Football Association said its technical director Lee Limsaeng will hold a press conference Monday to further discuss Hong’s appointment.
Hong, 55, previously coached South Korea from 2013 to 2014, a tenure that ended with a group stage exit at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
The KFA has finally landed on the new men’s coach following a mostly frustrating search that had dragged on for nearly five months. The KFA fired Juergen Klinsmann on Feb. 16 after South Korea lost in the semifinals of the Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup, and then cycled through two caretaker managers for four World Cup qualifying matches — two in March and two more in June.
The KFA had initially set out to name a full-time replacement for Klinsmann by mid-May at the latest, but leading candidates either took another job or stayed put in their place of employment.
Lee, thrust into the leading role in the coaching search after Chung Hae-sung abruptly stepped down on June 28 as head of the National Teams Committee, had traveled to Europe on Tuesday to interview foreign candidates. The list included a pair of former Premier League coaches, David Wagner and Gus Poyet.
After coming home, Lee met with Hong on Friday to make his pitch, and Hong accepted the offer
Saturday evening, according to the KFA.
Hong is widely considered one of the greatest players in South Korean soccer history. The former defender captained South Korea to the semifinals at the 2002 World Cup, which the country cohosted with Japan, and scored the decisive penalty to beat Spain in the shootout in the quarterfinals. Hong is tied for first with 136 caps.
In his post-playing career, Hong carved out a successful coaching resume. Most notably, he coached the under-23 South Korea to the bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics. It remains the only Olympic soccer medal for South Korea.
He took over the senior men’s national team about a year away from the 2014 World Cup, and Hong experienced his first failure as coach. South Korea had one draw and two losses in the group stage in Brazil, and Hong stepped down in the aftermath.
Hong later dabbled at administration and served as an executive director for the KFA from 2017 to 2020.
Hong returned to coaching ahead of the 2021 K League 1 season, tasked with ending Ulsan’s long championship drought. They finished in second place in Hong’s first season before finally capturing their first title in 17 years in 2022.
Ulsan then defended that title in 2023 and are currently in second place, one point back of Gimcheon Sangmu FC at 39, with 17 matches left this season.
Hong appeared to reject the KFA’s earlier offer June 30. In a media scrum before a K League 1 match, Hong criticized the KFA’s inability to find a suitable coach, and told Ulsan supporters not to worry about his possible midseason departure. (Yonhap)