Hajime Moriyasu, head coach of Japan's national football team, publicly defended Hong Myung-bo, the former head coach of South Korea's national team who resigned after the group-stage exit at the 2026 World Cup in North America.
At a World Cup review press conference held in Tokyo, Japan, on Tuesday, Moriyasu was asked about Hong and said, "I don't think this result (for Korea) was the worst ever."
He continued, "I think (Hong) really worked so hard for his country that he wore himself out. I don't know how critically Korean fans are viewing this, but please also consider and praise the fact that Hong and the players worked hard for their country."
Korea, led by Hong, recorded one win and two losses (three points) in the group stage of the 2026 World Cup in North America, finishing third in their group and failing to advance to the round of 32.
After the elimination, criticism intensified as rumors of conflict with captain Son Heung-min and internal team discord surfaced. Hong resigned locally through a statement after the group-stage exit was confirmed.
Japan, led by Moriyasu, advanced through the group stage with one win and two draws (five points) before losing 2-1 in a comeback defeat to Brazil in the round of 32. The Japan Football Association is known to have offered Moriyasu a contract extension.
Meanwhile, the coaches' compensation has not been precisely reported by the media, but according to global salary analysis firm Salary Leaks, the annual salary he receives is about 820,000 euros (approximately 1.455 billion won). That figure is less than half the annual salary of Korea's former coach Hong Myung-bo (approximately 3.8 billion won).
