“All Because of One Person’s Mistake”: Super Junior’s Kim Heechul Vents Anger Over Korea’s World Cup Exit

Super Junior member and popular TV personality Kim Heechul has openly shared his heartbreak and frustration following South Korea’s shocking early exit from the 2026 North American World Cup. On June 28, 2026, the 42-year-old star took to his personal social media accounts to vent his sadness while watching the final group stage matches that sealed the national football team’s fate.

Heartbreak for Son Heung-min’s Last World Cup

Sharing a screenshot of the live broadcast between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uzbekistan—the critical match that officially eliminated South Korea through the tournament’s complicated “points math”—Kim Heechul wrote a touching note about team captain Son Heung-min:

“I heard this might be Son Heung-min’s very last World Cup. I wanted to watch him play in just one more match, but with things turning out like this, there is absolutely no hope left.”

As the reality of the elimination set in, the singer posted a second update, comforting the athletes while subtly calling out the heavily criticized tactical management of head coach Hong Myung-bo:

“To all of my fans (E.L.F.) and friends around me who took the time to explain and teach me so much because I don’t know much about football: they are all saying that things ended up this way because of one single person’s mistake. Our players worked incredibly hard and suffered so much out there.”

The Bitter “South Africa Shock” and a Historic Exit

Led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, the South Korean national football team finished their Group A run with 1 win, 2 losses (3 points, -1 goal difference), landing them in a disappointing third place.

Even though the 2026 World Cup expanded its tournament format to 48 teams—allowing the top eight 3rd-place teams to advance—South Korea dropped to 10th place among the 3rd-place groups following the “South Africa Shock” 0-1 loss on June 25. Their official elimination was locked in on June 28 after the Democratic Republic of the Congo secured a 3-1 comeback victory over Uzbekistan.

Finishing at a historic low of 34th place overall, this marks South Korea’s lowest World Cup placement in modern football history. It is also the first time in eight years that the nation has failed to pass the group stage, completely wiping out hopes of securing back-to-back knockout stage runs following their successful Round of 16 finish at the 2022 Qatar World Cup.

As public anger runs high across online communities and public figures like entertainer Lee Kyung-gyu and Kim Heechul speak out, head coach Hong Myung-bo has officially announced his intention to resign from his position at a press conference in Mexico, bringing a sad and abrupt end to South Korea’s 2026 World Cup journey.