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Hong Myung Bo breaks his silence after arriving in America
After two weeks of silence and absence, former South Korea coach Hong Myung-bo has finally broken his silence, apologizing to his people and revealing that his sudden departure to America was not an escape, but rather an attempt to protect his family from death threats against him following their humiliating exit from the 2026 World Cup.
And released South Korean coach Hong Myung Bo released an official statement in which he publicly apologized to his country’s fans, saying he was “fully responsible for this result” after the team crashed out of the group stage with one win from three games.
A shock defeat to South Africa in the last round was the straw that broke the team’s back and unleashed an unprecedented wave of anger on the Korean street, with arrows pointed squarely at the coach.
“I sincerely apologize to all citizens who loved and supported Korean football. I failed to achieve the results that the nation expected in the World Cup. As a coach, I take full responsibility for this and once again deeply apologize.”
Hong revealed that his silence over the past two weeks was intentional, explaining: “I thought that the results of the national team were a burden that I had to carry alone, and that’s why I couldn’t share my position with the public.”
But at the same time, he pointed out that silence is no longer possible after “false information began to be published, as if it were facts, and baseless rumors joined it.”
Most serious in Hong’s statement was revealing the reason for his departure from South Korea to the United States a week ago, a move that was then interpreted as an attempt to avoid responsibility. He commented on this. “My decision was not to avoid the consequences, there have been death threats against me and my family as well as concerns for our personal safety and as the head of the family I had to protect them.”
The coach concluded his statement by emphasizing his full willingness to be held accountable, saying: “If parliamentary hearings are held, I think that this platform is a suitable place to explain the results of the World Cup. I will take full responsibility and present the facts to the public as I know them, and I will not avoid any questions.”
Hong Myung-bo’s announcement comes as an end to speculation, but it opens the door to a new phase of accountability in Korean soccer after a World Cup disappointment that turned from a sporting defeat into a matter of public opinion.
🚨 𝐇𝐎𝐍𝐆. "🐈 𝐇𝐀𝐃 𝐓𝐎 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐂𝐓 𝐌𝐮 𝐅𝐀𝐌𝐈"
Hong Myung Bo issued a personal statement regarding the reasons for leaving Korea and promised to return if parliamentary hearings were held. 🙏
The full translated text is below.
"Korean citizens, this is Hong… pic.twitter.com/Vxez94Pypu
— Joel Kim (@KNTFootball) July 9, 2026
