'Korean disappointment understandable, but equating defeat with betrayal goes beyond sport,' Chinese outlet says, while poking fun at its own team

South Korea national football team head coach Hong Myung-bo announces his resignation at a press conference in Zapopan, Mexico, on June 28 (local time), after the team failed to advance from the group stage at the 2026 North America World Cup. [Yonhap]
South Korea national football team head coach Hong Myung-bo announces his resignation at a press conference in Zapopan, Mexico, on June 28 (local time), after the team failed to advance from the group stage at the 2026 North America World Cup. [Yonhap]

As South Korea erupts in fierce criticism of coach Hong Myung-bo following the national team's group-stage exit at the 2026 North America World Cup, a Chinese media outlet is urging the country to regain its composure.

Xin Tan Qin, a social media account affiliated with China's state-run Xinhua News Agency, posted a commentary Tuesday saying South Korea had "bowed out in gloom, setting the worst record in the team's history," adding that "the intense reactions across South Korea surprised the rest of the world even more." The outlet said Koreans "need to calm down."

The outlet noted that the team's welcome ceremony had been canceled and that Hong had been subjected to a torrent of attacks. "The disappointment and anger of Korean fans is certainly understandable, particularly given the Korean national character," it said, "but equating a loss in a game with betrayal goes far beyond the realm of sport — it is closer to a venting of social frustration."

The commentary said Koreans were feeling a sense of crisis as the gap in quality between the South Korean and Japanese national teams continued to widen.

"Hong Myung-bo clearly cannot escape responsibility, but when you look deeper, is this really the problem of one coach alone?" the outlet said. "The collapse of any system is never one person's fault — it is merely a habit of placing all blame on the most visible individual."

The outlet also mixed in some humorous "consolation" alongside self-deprecating jabs at China's own football program.

After citing the cases of Iraq, Italy and Greece — countries that had performed well in football competitions before enduring wars and economic hardship — Xin Tan Qin wrote: "Believe it or not, football and national fortune are somewhat connected. So who has been the guardian protecting China's national fortune through all these years of humiliation, keeping the country on a path of stable development? The Chinese national football team."

"With the Korean stock market doing so well, the Korean men's football team losing could be called the law of conservation of energy — a reminder to Koreans that what you gain in one place, you lose in another, so don't celebrate too hard," the outlet added. "There are so many countries in the world, and a considerable number of them didn't even qualify for the World Cup. If Koreans are this angry, where does that leave the Chinese national team?"


yckim6452@heraldcorp.com