The appointment of the Korean interim coach is accused of lacking transparency.

According to Korean media, the appointment of Hwang Sun-hong as interim coach was a unilateral decision, rather than a consensus from the National Team Performance Enhancement Committee.

The 11-member committee is tasked with selecting a new coach for the national team after parting ways with coach Jurgen Klinsmann. Three meetings were held on February 21, February 24 and February 27.

After its first meeting, the committee faced backlash when it announced that it would appoint a coach who was leading a club in the K-League 1 as the official coach. Korean public opinion said that this would affect the number one domestic league, as the clubs had just completed preparations for the new season.

So at the second meeting, the Committee changed course and decided to appoint an interim coach. The selection of candidates was expected to take place at the third meeting. But things did not go as planned.

Mr. Chung Hae-seong - Chairman of the Committee for Strengthening the Competition Ability of Korean National Teams - announced interim coach Hwang Sun-hong on February 27. Photo: Yonhap

According to Osen , Chairman Chung Hae-seong abused his power when he unilaterally announced that Hwang Sun-hong would be the interim coach. "The members of the committee objected and argued back and forth," the newspaper quoted a source as saying. "This means Chairman Chung unilaterally appointed him without consulting the members through a meeting."

At a press conference on February 27, Mr. Chung said that Coach Hwang was his top priority and accepted the offer after a day of thinking to simultaneously take charge of the national team and U23.

Previously, Mr. Hwang and Park Hang-seo were two strong candidates. The remaining one was Choi Yong-soo. All three met the criteria of not leading any football team (Mr. Park and Mr. Choi) or being under the management of the Korean Football Association (Mr. Hwang).

Chung and Park were both assistants to coach Guus Hiddink of the Korean national team, on their journey to fourth place in the 2002 World Cup. Later, Chung gradually entered the KFA, while Park continued his coaching career. In 2017, coach Park came to Vietnam to work, starting a five-year journey of many successes. Chung also came to Vietnam as technical director of HAGL in 2018, then coach of Ho Chi Minh City Club in 2019 and 2020. However, many sources said that their relationship was not very good.

Mr. Chung Hae-seong (right) talks with Committee member Lee Young-jin - former assistant to coach Park Hang-seo in the Vietnam national team. Photo: Yonhap — Mr. Chung Hae-seong (right) talks with Committee member Lee Young-jin - former assistant to coach Park Hang-seo in the Vietnam national team. Photo: *Yonhap*

Coach Hwang's decision to take charge of two teams has also received criticism from the Korean media, as the U23 team prepares to compete for a ticket to the 2024 Paris Olympics through the U23 Asian Cup finals in Qatar. When the issue was pointed out, Chairman Chung Hae-seong affirmed that he would take full responsibility.

Four Four Two even posed the worst-case scenario for Korean football: Coach Hwang could not help the national team beat Thailand in the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup and also missed out on a ticket to the Olympics with the U23 team. According to Mr. Chung, this is an unrealistic question. "The hypothetical question is like asking a coach right before the opening match whether he is ready to resign if the season's performance is not good," Mr. Chung told Seoul .

Despite the opposition, there are still many opinions that agree with the KFA in choosing coach Hwang Sun-hong. KBS TV station said that coach Hwang is the only person who regularly monitors the players, and has a trustworthy relationship with both Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in. In addition, the U23 team has established a stable management system, so there will be no overlap with the national team.

Mid-Autumn Festival

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