Under threat of death… the South Korean coach escapes to America in disguise

Just 48 hours after returning to Seoul to a hostile reception, Hong Myung-bo traveled incognito from South Korea to the United States, fleeing death threats against his life after the national team’s first-round exit from the 2026 World Cup.

The newspaper reported.Brand:The Spanish newspaper reported that the resigned coach appeared at Incheon International Airport wearing a hat and mask on Thursday, bound for Los Angeles, after becoming the main target of unprecedented public anger.

Hong had returned to his country at dawn on Tuesday with a delegation of the national team, only to be greeted by hostile chants over loudspeakers. The media reports that hostile posters against him have been spread in Seoul, and some shops have banned him from entering.

Marca have confirmed that the former South Korea captain, one of their most popular players historically, received death threats after being sent off, prompting him to leave for “security reasons”.

Ahead of the trip, Hong Myung Bo denied media reports of internal disputes or player Jens Kastrup’s suspension, saying only: “I have something to say, but this story will be revealed one day.”

The Korean team started their campaign in Mexico with a promising 2-1 win over the Czech Republic before losing 1-0 in two matches to Mexico and South Africa to exit the tournament in the group stage.

This is Hong’s second term as national team coach ending in an early exit, as happened at the 2014 World Cup, prompting him to take “full responsibility” and tender his resignation last Sunday.

The crisis escalated to a political level after President Lee Jae-myung described the exit as “shocking”, calling on the Sports Ministry to investigate the national legend, who won 136 caps and won the bronze medal at the 2002 World Cup.

“We will speed up the implementation of reforms in the field of sports management, so that something like this never happens again,” the president said.