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After 48 hours in Seoul, Hong Myung-bo is granted asylum in the United States
The first footage showed Hong Myung Bo disguised in a hood and mask at Incheon International Airport before departing South Korea for the United States, just 48 hours after returning to Seoul to a hostile reception.
The newspaper reported.Brand:The Spanish newspaper reported that the resigned coach was spotted on Thursday preparing to board a plane to Los Angeles to avoid death threats following his team’s first-round exit from the 2026 World Cup.
Hong Myung Bo appeared emotional as he faced the media ahead of his trip, avoiding revealing his face after becoming the main target of unprecedented public anger.
The coach had returned to his country at dawn on Tuesday with the delegation of the national team, which was greeted only by hostile chants over loudspeakers.
Hostile posters against him have been spread across Seoul, while some shops have barred him from entering, according to media reports.
Marca have confirmed that the former South Korea captain, one of the most popular players in their history, has withdrawn “for safety reasons” after receiving death threats following his dismissal.
Prior to his departure, Hong Myung Bo had denied reports of internal disputes or player Jens Kastrup’s suspension, saying only: “I have something to say, but this story will come out one day.”
Korea opened their campaign in Mexico with a 2-1 win over the Czech Republic before losing 1-0 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.
🤔 “No one saw that coming.”
Hong Myong Bo 🇰🇷 was asked by journalists about some of his decisions in the World Cup.
He noted that Son Heung-min was sat out against South Africa, in part because of Oh Hyun-gyu’s surprise game-winning goal ⚽️ against the Czech Republic. pic.twitter.com/sMMsOgDPLo
— BibimBallers (@BibimBallers) July 2, 2026
