Lawmaker claims locker-room clash between Hong Myung-bo and Son Heung-min at World Cup

A lawmaker has claimed that a conflict with former head coach Hong Myung-bo was behind the decision to drop Son Heung-min and Lee Jae-sung from the starting lineup for South Korea's group-stage match against South Africa at the 2026 North and Central America World Cup. The Korea Football Association and Hong have both denied the claim.

People Power Party lawmaker Jin Jong-oh, a member of the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, said Wednesday he had confirmed through a credible source that there was not only a dispute within the squad over a media interview boycott but also a separate incident, according to KBS.

Jin said that after the match against Mexico, Son was talking with teammates in the locker room when Hong approached and asked what he was discussing. Son replied that he was talking with the players about the game, Jin said.

Jin said Hong then responded, "Why are you the one talking about that? That's my job," before telling everyone to leave the room. "I have verified the facts," Jin said. He added that the poor performances stemmed not from infighting among players but from a rift between the coach and some members of the squad.

The day before, Jin had also said he received a tip through the Korea Football Association's corruption and misconduct reporting center alleging that the interview boycott dispute had caused discord within the team.

The squad decided to boycott media interviews after a conversation among some reporters — in which they mocked Son's military service exemption — was made public at a training facility in Guadalajara, Mexico, on June 7. An internal dispute then erupted, Jin claimed, over how long the boycott should continue.

According to Jin, Son and Lee took a hard line, insisting the boycott should continue, while other players were reportedly uncomfortable going without interviews for an extended period during the World Cup.

Jin said Hong instructed the players to resume interviews after the Mexico match, but Son and Lee refused. Jin said that conflict was the reason the two were left out of the starting lineup against South Africa.

The KFA, however, maintained that Son and Lee's omission from the starting lineup had nothing to do with the interview issue. The association acknowledged that it had coordinated with the squad to resume media access, but said it was "not true" that Son and Lee were dropped as a result of that situation.

Hong himself dismissed the internal conflict claims at a news conference after the loss to South Africa, saying the atmosphere had been unsettled during the Mexico match but that he did not believe there was a problem within the squad.