'Myeongjang-byeong': Ex-player Kim Young-gwang calls for Hong Myung-bo's dismissal after South Africa loss

Former South Korea goalkeeper Kim Young-gwang sharply criticized national team head coach Hong Myung-bo's game management amid the team's shocking loss to South Africa.

South Korea fell 1-0 to South Africa on Thursday in their third Group A match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, played at Estadio BBVA in Monterrey, Mexico.

Speaking during a live broadcast on his YouTube channel "Na Kim Young-gwang-i-o," Kim responded to a viewer asking for his take on the result. "It is entirely the coach's responsibility. That much is certain," he said.

Kim said the problems began with the starting lineup. "There were issues from the very first selection of the best players, and the substitutions also needed to account for variables," he said. "The possibility of a defender getting injured should have been considered — but all of that was missed. It went wrong from the start."

Kim was particularly pointed about the decision to leave Son Heung-min out of the starting eleven. "Why did he suddenly come down with myeongjang-byeong and not use Heung-min in the best lineup? I don't understand it. I'm genuinely curious about the real reason he was left out of the starting squad. Why was there no interview about that? He simply didn't want to play Son Heung-min the full 90 minutes," Kim said.

Myeongjang-byeong is a neologism used in Korean sports circles to describe a coach who clings so rigidly to his own tactical philosophy and judgment that he fails to adequately account for real-world variables such as match conditions and player form.

Kim also called for Hong to be sacked immediately. "A new coach needs to be found within three days," he said.

"The coach must go. He truly needs to take responsibility. Putting out a performance like this is a betrayal of the public, the football fans and everyone who works in the sport. This simply cannot continue," Kim said.

Thursday's defeat brought South Korea's group-stage campaign to a close.