Ki Sung-yueng calls for reform of Korean football after World Cup exit

Former South Korea captain Ki Sung-yueng has offered a candid assessment of the national team's performance at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North and Central America, calling for sweeping reform of Korean football.

Ki appeared Wednesday on the tvN variety program "You Quiz on the Block" alongside actor Kim Kang-woo, who is married to Ki's sister-in-law.

Host Yoo Jae-suk noted that Ki had recently traveled to Mexico to watch the World Cup and asked how he viewed the tournament as a former national team captain.

Ki said he was fortunate to have left after only the first match, against the Czech Republic, when the mood around the team was still upbeat. "The result of the first game was so good, and when I flew back to Korea we were still talking about finishing first or second in the group," he said. "I gave the players a lot of encouragement before I left, so it's personally very disappointing that things ended this way."

He said he fully understood the public's frustration and added that Korean football needed significant reform going forward.

He was particularly pointed on the question of accountability within the national team.

"The national team represents an entire country. I believe the players need to carry a far greater sense of responsibility because of that — and I felt that was sorely lacking this time," Ki said.

He also expressed regret that Korean football lacked role models for younger players to look up to. "I find myself thinking, 'There's no one in our country that I can look at and say I want to be like that person, I want to walk that path,'" he said. "That makes me turn the lens on myself. I keep asking, 'What have I actually done for Korean football? Do I even have the right to criticize when I haven't done anything?'"

Ki also opened up for the first time about contemplating retirement.

The veteran midfielder, currently the most senior player at K League club Pohang Steelers, said retirement was something he could not avoid thinking about at his age. "When results are bad, veteran players are the first ones to take the arrows," he said. "It's not easy fighting the prejudice that says, 'Isn't it time to stop?'"

He added that the thought of retiring had been with him for several years. "But I still love football so much that my mind keeps going back and forth," he said.

He went on to say he was also thinking about how to set new goals after retirement, but noted that about four months remained in the season. "I'm playing every day with the mindset that I want to give everything I have and show my best in these last four months," he said.