South Korea national team player Yens Castrop kicks the ball during the 2026 FIFA World Cup Group A third-round match against South Africa at Estadio BBVA in Monterrey, Mexico, on June 25 (local time). [Yonhap]
South Korea national team player Yens Castrop kicks the ball during the 2026 FIFA World Cup Group A third-round match against South Africa at Estadio BBVA in Monterrey, Mexico, on June 25 (local time). [Yonhap]

Among the South Korean players who took the field at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North and Central America, one attracted particular attention.

That player was Yens Castrop of Borussia Mönchengladbach — a mixed-heritage son of Korea.

Born in Düsseldorf, Germany, in 2003 to a German father and a Korean mother, Castrop became the first mixed-heritage player born abroad to represent South Korea's men's national team at a World Cup.

Having stepped onto his first-ever FIFA World Cup stage for his mother's homeland, Castrop responded to South Korea's group-stage elimination on Saturday (Korean Standard Time) with a message on his Instagram account: "This is only the beginning."

Posting photos of himself lacing up his boots and playing in his No. 23 jersey, Castrop called the outcome "disappointing" and said it "wasn't the World Cup I had dreamed of, but it was a journey I will never forget."

Castrop came on as a second-half substitute in South Korea's Group A third-round match against South Africa on June 25. Korea lost 1-0, finishing third in the group with one win and two losses, and spent three days at their base camp in Mexico watching other third-place results before ultimately packing their bags on Saturday.

That meant the match against South Africa — Castrop's World Cup debut — also turned out to be his last game of the tournament.

"When I think about the effort, sacrifice and belief we poured into this journey, I truly believe we deserved more," Castrop wrote. "But sometimes football is like this."

He added: "I sincerely thank everyone who cheered us on at every moment. I will learn from this experience, come back stronger, and keep fighting."

Coach Hong steps down

South Korea national team head coach Hong Myung-bo. [Yonhap]
South Korea national team head coach Hong Myung-bo. [Yonhap]

Meanwhile, South Korea head coach Hong Myung-bo announced he would step down, taking responsibility for the team's failure to advance past the group stage.

Hong met with reporters Monday morning at Chivas Verde Valle in Zapopan, Mexico — the national team's base camp training facility — the day after the group-stage elimination was confirmed, and announced his resignation.

"I sincerely apologize to the Korean people," Hong said. "I am stepping down as head coach of the national team. But I am not stepping away from my love for Korean football."

Hong was appointed on July 8, 2024, with his contract running through the 2027 Asian Cup, scheduled for January of that year.

The World Cup failure, however, forced him out roughly half a year ahead of schedule.

South Korea finished 34th overall at the tournament, which for the first time expanded its field to 48 nations.

It is the first time in eight years — since the 2018 tournament in Russia — that South Korea has failed to advance past the World Cup group stage.

Under Hong, the national team had aimed to reach the round of 16 for the third time overall and the second consecutive time in an away World Cup, following the 2010 tournament in South Africa and the 2022 tournament in Qatar — but fell short.


yul@heraldcorp.com