
Hong Myung-bo is back as head coach of the South Korean men’s national football team. When coaches return to a job that they have had before, people wonder whether they have unfinished business to complete. That is certainly the case this time. Almost exactly 10 years after he resigned, the familiar figure returns to the hot seat.
It was something of a surprise, not least because Hong seemed to rule himself out of the running not long ago. His appointment ends a search that was starting to become frantic.
It’s been five months since Jurgen Klinsmann was dismissed. That was not a surprise given what had happened in the previous days, weeks and months with the German in charge. Not many expected however that, as July dawned, fans, media and players would still be waiting to greet the new man.
Hwang Sun-hong and Kim Do-hoon were in temporary charge for the World Cup qualifiers in March and June respectively. It all went quite well and the Taeguk Warriors have strolled into the third round of 2026 World Cup qualification, which kicks off in September. Hong now has two months to get ready for the first game against Palestine.
His 12-month spell from 2013 to 2014 ended after the Brazil World Cup. It was a disappointing performance with two defeats and one draw and few will forget the image of the players returning to Incheon International Airport to be pelted with “yeot” or Korean traditional confectionery by waiting fans.
That seemed to end a very promising coaching career. Hong, a legendary player who appeared 136 times for his country and was the captain of the 2002 semifinal team, had success with the Under-20s and then led the Under-23s to bronze at the 2012 Olympics.
After that exit from Brazil, Hong worked at the Korea Football Association for a while and then took over Ulsan HD in 2021. He had plenty of success down in the southeast and won the K League championship in 2022 and 2023. Fans of the Tigers are unhappy that they 스포츠 have lost a very successful coach halfway through the season — at the moment Ulsan is second and well-placed to make it three in a row.
Lee Lim-saeng, the technical director of the Korea Football Association who made the appointment, apologized to the supporters.
“What can I really say? I am extremely grateful and also sorry that Ulsan have agreed to send coach Hong to the national team,” Lee said on Monday. “Especially to Ulsan supporters, I am really sorry. I will cheer for the club from now on.”
Fans may not see that as a fair trade but there is a long history of top Korean clubs losing their coaches to the national team. Hong’s priority is now getting the Taeguk Warriors to the World Cup in 2026 and it is striking that Lee talked about more cohesion between the different age levels of Korean teams. Hong has experience at those levels and still has the reputation from his playing days.
When he was given the job first in 2013, Hong was seen as the top coaching prospect in Korea but the opportunity perhaps came too soon. His first competitive game in charge of the senior team came at the 2014 World Cup. Now, he will have time to get to grips with the job and time, perhaps, to put those 2014 demons to bed.