The South Korean team’s failure to advance to the final 32 of the World Cup has sparked public anger. The South Korean team members are returning home one after another. Head coach Hong Myung-bo and some players were the first to enter the country via Incheon on the 30th. The scene was quite chaotic and filled with insults such as “return the salary”.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the plane arrived at around 4 a.m., but as early as one or two hours prior, a large number of fans, in addition to the media, had already gathered at various locations. As the arrival time approached, the number of people gathered increased to about 300. Many individual YouTubers were also present and started live streaming before the team arrived, making the scene quite chaotic.
The Korea Football Association did not hold a separate event for the World Cup team’s return home. Before the team’s return, there were even posts online that hinted at potential harm to Hong Myung-bo’s personal safety, creating a tense atmosphere. As a result, the police deployed more than 100 officers at the immigration site as a precaution.
The report mentioned that when the South Korean team failed to advance in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, some fans threw “malt candy” (a South Korean insult) at Hong Myung-bo, who was also the head coach at the time, at the airport. However, no malt candy was thrown this time.
However, the airport was still filled with shouts of abuse on the 30th, including loud protests such as “Hong Myung-bo, get out!” and “Return our salaries!” Due to the long wait, there were also constant cries of dissatisfaction from the crowd, such as “Why aren’t they out yet?” However, some fans believed that the players should not be blamed and shouted encouraging words such as “Go for it!” and “You’ve worked hard!”
The airport had separated the flow of fans from the team’s route. Only a select group of media outlets, who had been granted prior permission to interview, accompanied Hong Myung-bo to ask questions such as “Is there anything you’d like to say to the fans?” However, Hong Myung-bo did not respond. Some fans angrily stated, “Coach Hong didn’t take any questions at the press conference in Mexico when he announced his resignation, and he didn’t say a word on the 30th either.”
The Football Association issued a statement through the media after the team left the airport, saying, “We had informed them in advance that no media interviews would be arranged at the airport upon their return, only filming would be allowed.”
