South Korea Team Booed at 4 a.m. Return After 3-Point World Cup Exit

Q: Why was a national hero benched during the World Cup’s most critical match?

Son Heung-min was benched because coach Hong Myung-bo made a tactical gamble, not because of injury or discipline. Hong said he wanted to use Son as a second-half weapon against a tiring South African defense, believing more space would open later in the match. He also appeared influenced by Son’s relatively quiet first two group games, in which he did not score and had limited impact by his usual standards. In Son’s place, Hong started Oh Hyeon-gyu, who had been in better form and had scored in the win over Czechia. The decision was highly unusual. It was the first time Son had not started a World Cup match for South Korea since 2010, and it came in the team’s most important group-stage game, when a draw would have been enough to secure progress. Son was introduced at halftime, but by then South Korea had lost control of the match and could not recover after South Africa scored in the 63rd minute. After the 1-0 defeat, Hong accepted responsibility and said the lineup choice was his mistake. Son confirmed he had been told in advance and did not publicly challenge the decision. But the move quickly became one of the defining symbols of South Korea’s failed campaign, intensifying criticism of Hong’s judgment and contributing to the backlash that ended with his resignation.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jun 30

Seoul fans booed South Korea's national team when it landed at 4 a.m., capping a hostile homecoming after the side's early 2026 World Cup elimination.
Three points and a minus-1 goal difference left South Korea third in Group A and outside the eight best third-place teams, despite a 2-1 win over Czechia.
Losses to Mexico and South Africa drove the exit and triggered a backlash that had already forced the coach to resign before the squad returned home.
President Yoon Suk Yeol has called for an investigation into both the World Cup failure and the process used to hire the national team coach.