Football legend and commentator Park Ji-sung visits the Korean national football team's training grounds in Monterrey, Mexico on June 23, 2026.KANG JUNG-HYUN
Park Ji-sung did not mince words. The Korean football great, now a JTBC commentator, openly criticized the team after a listless 1-0 loss to South Africa on Wednesday left Korea unable to safely secure a spot at the Round of 32.
"They need to look back at whether they were even trying to win the game," Park said.
The Korean national team, led by manager Hong Myung-bo, lost 1-0 to South Africa in its final Group A match at Monterrey Stadium in Mexico, closing the group stage with one win and two losses and dropping to third. A draw would have been enough to secure a place in the knockout stage, but the Taeguk Warriors disappointed in both performance and result.
Korea created early chances through a header from defender Kim Min-jae and a shot from midfielder Lee Kang-in, but its attack soon dried up. The midfield and forward lines drifted apart and left the players up front isolated.
Park could not hide his frustration throughout.
"When Lee Kang-in gets on the ball, the players around him have to help, but too often they just stand and watch," he said. "There's no sign of a team trying to create space or move as a unit."
The tactics barely changed after Thapelo Maseko put South Africa ahead in the 63rd minute.
"Whether you lose 1-0 or 2-0, the result is the same," Park said. "Right now, more players need to get forward, but the defensive numbers are staying put. The will to score seems lacking."
South Africa celebrates after Thapelo Maseko’s goal against Korea during a World Cup 2026 group stage match in Monterrey, Mexico, on June 24.YONHAP
The criticism carried on after the final whistle.
Son Heung-min reacts at the end of the World Cup Group A soccer match between South Africa and South Korea in Guadalupe, near Monterrey, Mexico, Wednesday, June 24, 2026.AP/YONHAP
"It was never clear what the attacking plan was," Park said. "They repeated the same problem across all three group games. There was no clarity on how to work the ball to the box, or how to finish once it got there."
The deeper worry was less the defeat than the lack of any sign of a way forward. Needing only a draw, Korea found no attacking solution and made no bold move to change the game.
"There was plenty of time to reflect on what went wrong at the 2014 World Cup, but it feels like we're seeing that same failure again," Park said, referring to another tournament that ended in a group stage exit — coincidentally also on Hong's watch.
The manager took the blame after Wednesday's poor showing.
"The responsibility for today's result lies with me, the manager," he said.
Korea must now pin its hopes on results elsewhere in the group stage.
Fans piled on after the match. On major online football forums, many mocked "90 minutes of nothing but U-shaped buildup" and sterile side-to-side passing that never threatens a goal.
Others wrote that they could not tell what the tactics were and that the team had shown "the limits of football that leans only on individual talent."
Clips of the criticism from Park and fellow commentator Kim Hwan spread in real time, which fueled a slew of posts blasting Hong's lack of tactics and game management.
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This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
