After the Korean national team stopped at the 2026 World Cup, coach Park Hang-seo shared a lot of information about the team's management and existing issues in the Korean Football Association (KFA).
According to coach Park Hang-seo, KFA needs to change its operating method, especially in defining responsibilities and empowering the young generation.
The Football Federation is too arrogant. It is necessary to break the authoritarianism that exists there. The Federation's administrative work has not changed for a long time. In this case, the Federation needs to lower itself and let young people with capacity build a better system," Mr. Park said.
Unclear powers when being a delegation leader
At the 2026 World Cup, coach Park Hang-seo was assigned the task of head of the Korean national team. However, he said that his role and authority were not specifically defined from the beginning.
I was not clearly informed about the powers or roles of the head of the delegation. I should have clearly confirmed that part from the beginning before starting work, but I did not do so, so that makes me very regretful," he shared.
Due to not being clearly assigned tasks, coach Park Hang-seo does not live with the players and does not attend meetings between the coaching staff and head coach Hong Myung-bo.
This inadequacy was revealed in the case involving a reporter with inappropriate statements about Son Heung-min. Mr. Park Hang-seo said that he was not informed about the incident but only knew through a casual exchange between KFA leaders.
After watching the video, he asked the KFA to handle it soon to avoid affecting the team. However, the matter was not resolved quickly.
After the match against the Czech Republic, Son Heung-min and Lee Jae-sung sought support from coach Park Hang-seo. The players asked the KFA to issue an official statement, requesting relevant reporters to publicly apologize and not continue to participate in working activities with the team.
Coach Park Hang-seo then connected Son Heung-min, Lee Jae-sung, Hwang In-beom and Hwang Hee-chan with KFA leaders to find a solution.
KFA then issued a statement but removed it. Representatives of the reporter delegation directly apologized to the players and the two sides agreed that the reporters involved would not participate in joint KFA operations.
Offered to apologize
Coach Park Hang-seo also revealed that he was once asked to apologize after the South Korean team was eliminated from the 2026 World Cup.
According to him, when head coach Hong Myung-bo was preparing to announce an apology letter, some KFA leaders were present and asked Mr. Park to appear as the head of the delegation.
He agreed because he believed that he was responsible for the assigned position. According to the initial plan, Mr. Park and some KFA leaders would appear, but in the end he was the only one who announced his apology.
When you need to face it directly, you must face it. Just frankly admit your mistakes, if you are criticized, just admit it. Avoiding avoidance cannot solve the problem," he said.
When the Korean national team returned home, coach Park Hang-seo continued to proactively step out first at the airport. Before the question of whether KFA would use him as a "shield", he did not directly criticize any individual.
I just do what I have to do," he said.
Coach Park Hang-seo also admitted that he was responsible for not clarifying his authority before taking on the task of head of the delegation. He believes that KFA needs to reform its operating methods, clearly define responsibilities and create conditions for the younger generation to play a greater role.
South Korea was eliminated after a defeat to South Africa. Hong Myung-bo then resigned. Meanwhile, coach Park Hang-seo submitted his resignation from his position in the KFA before the 2026 World Cup to prepare to lead Kanchanaburi club in Thailand.
