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WATCH | Booing, insults for South Korea and coach at Seoul airport after World Cup exit

Shock defeat to Bafana Bafana resulted in an early flight home and coach’s resignation

1 min read
Former South Korea head coach Hong Myung-bo, centre, is booed by fans as he arrives at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, on Tuesday, two days after resigning after the team's early exit from the 2026 Fifa World Cup. Picture:
Former South Korea head coach Hong Myung-bo, centre, is booed by fans as he arrives at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, on Tuesday, two days after resigning after the team's early exit from the 2026 Fifa World Cup. Picture:Picture: Yonhap/EPA/BackpagePix

The South Korean squad and former coach Hong Myung-bo were booed at Seoul’s Incheon International Airport on their return from a group stage exit from the 2026 Fifa World Cup.

South Koreans at the airport for the team’s arrival at 4am chanted “Hong Myung-bo out”, hurled insults amid drumming and held banners, one of which read, “South Korean football is dead”. Some banners demanded Hong return his salary.

The coach resigned in Mexico on Sunday, saying: “We didn’t deliver the results our fans expected.”

South Korea, boasting players based at top European clubs and ranked in the world’s top 30 going into the tournament, won their opening Group A game 1-0 against Czechia but then lost 1-0 to Mexico. They were heavily favoured to beat Bafana Bafana in their final group game in Monterrey but were shocked 1-0 by the South Africans.

The result meant the South Koreans, with three points, ended in 10th place in the ranking of best third-placed finishers from the 12 groups, the top eight of which progressed to the last 32.

Reaction in South Korea to their team’s failure has been one of anger and disappointment, with the country’s President Lee Jae Myung saying he felt “not only confusion but utter bewilderment at the unexpected outcome”.

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