Hong Myung-bo, head coach of the South Korea national football team, is stepping down, taking responsibility for the team's failure to advance to the Round of 32 at the 2026 North and Central America World Cup.

At a press conference, Coach Hong first offered his apologies to the public and football fans. He officially announced his resignation, saying, "I am sorry for failing to meet the expectations of everyone who supported the national team."

Reflecting that taking charge of the national team was by no means a light decision, Coach Hong explained that since accepting the position, he had placed the development of Korean football and the management of the national team as his highest priorities. He stated that during his tenure, in major decisions such as squad selection, tactics, training plans, and match management, his foremost criterion was always "whether this choice would benefit South Korean football."

Coach Hong said, "I cannot say that every choice was perfect, but the starting point of my decisions was always Korean football."

He then made clear his stance that he would accept full responsibility as head coach for the World Cup results. He stated, "A national team head coach is ultimately a position judged by results," adding, "The responsibility for failing to produce the desired outcomes is entirely mine." He added that conveying responsibility took precedence over explaining the results.

Coach Hong also expressed his gratitude to the players, coaching staff, support personnel, and officials who worked hard to operate the national team during difficult times. He said, "Although I am stepping down as head coach, my support and affection for Korean football will not change," and added, "I hope the national team will regain the trust of the public and grow into a more developed team."

The press conference was brief. After officially announcing his intention to resign, Coach Hong concluded the session with a message of gratitude and apology, without any lengthy additional explanation.

Following the national team's early elimination from the World Cup, attention had focused on Coach Hong's future, but he ultimately decided to take responsibility for the poor performance and stepped down from his post.

[This article was written with AI assistance. It was reconstructed based on the publicly available press conference content, and some details may change in accordance with future official announcements from the Korea Football Association.]