'How did you reduce the team to this?' — commentator Park Mun-sung fires at coach Hong Myung-bo after South Africa loss

Football commentator Park Mun-sung has sharply criticized the South Korean national team and head coach Hong Myung-bo amid the side's shocking defeat to South Africa.

South Korea, under Hong, lost 1-0 to South Africa on Thursday (Korean Standard Time) in their final Group A match at Estadio BBVA in Monterrey, Mexico. A draw would have secured a place in the round of 32, but the team failed to add to their points tally and dropped to third in the group, leaving their knockout-stage fate dependent on results elsewhere.

Immediately after the match, Park posted a broadcast screenshot showing Hong watching from the bench, alongside a pointed message on his social media.

"How did you reduce the team to this?" Park wrote, adding: "This is an asymmetry of responsibility — those who hold the most power and reap the most benefit bear the least accountability when things go wrong." He then asked, "How exactly do you intend to take responsibility?" expressing deep frustration with the way the national team has been managed.

Park also took aim at the team's play in a YouTube broadcast. "What exactly were the tactics our national team showed over the three group-stage matches?" he said. "There were no set patterns, no combinations, no tactics whatsoever." He added: "If you play football like this, the forwards are all going to wither away."

Meanwhile, South Korea finished the group stage with one win and two losses. After opening with a victory, the team fell to consecutive defeats against Mexico and South Africa, failing to secure at least second place in the group.

Their chances of reaching the round of 32 have not entirely disappeared, however.

The tournament format grants round-of-32 berths to the eight best third-place finishers across all groups, meaning South Korea must wait on results from other groups to learn whether they advance as a wildcard.