Guus Hiddink, left, who was the team manager for the national football team in the 2002 World Cup; Paulo Bento, center, who led the team in the 2022 World Cup; and Hong Myung-bo, who led the side in the FIFA World Cup 2026.JOONGANG ILBO/NEWS1
A majority of Koreans believe the next national football team manager should be chosen based on ability rather than nationality, with support for a foreign gaffer rising sharply following Korea's disappointing FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign, according to a new Hankook Research survey.
A total of 57 percent of respondents said nationality does not matter when selecting the next coach, according to the survey conducted from July 10 to 13 among 1,000 adults aged 18 or older nationwide. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level.
Another 23 percent said the position should go to a foreign manager, while 8 percent preferred a Korean coach. Among the respondents, 12 percent said they were unsure.
Compared with a survey conducted immediately after the 2023 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar, the share saying nationality does not matter edged up only from 56 percent to 57 percent and remained largely unchanged.
Support specifically for hiring a foreign national, however, rose by 17 percentage points from 6 percent to 23 percent, while support for a local hire fell by 19 percentage points from 27 percent to 8 percent.
The survey also showed widespread dissatisfaction with Korea's performance at the latest World Cup.
A total of 81 percent said the team's campaign fell short of expectations.
Asked why Korea failed to advance to the Round of 32, 80 percent cited the lack of ability of the manager and coaching staff. Another 8 percent blamed the players, while 3 percent pointed to a difficult group draw or unfavorable tournament bracket.
Korea fans react as they watch the FIFA World Cup 2026 group stage match between Korea and South Africa on June 24.REUTERS/YONHAP
Regarding the voluntary resignation of former gaffer Hong Myung-bo, 78 percent responded that they approved of the move.
Opinions were divided over the length of the next coach's tenure.
While 38 percent said the coach should be reassessed based on the team's performance at the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, 31 percent answered the contract should be guaranteed through the next World Cup.
The results suggest differing views on whether the Asian Cup should serve as a benchmark for evaluating the coach or be regarded as part of the long-term preparation for the next World Cup.
The survey also found that this year's tournament had a much weaker effect on national pride than the previous edition.
Son Heung-min walks off the pitch after Korea's 0-1 loss against South Africa in the World Cup 2026 Group A match at Monterrey Stadium in Mexico on June 24.YONHAP
Only 20 percent said the tournament made them feel proud to be Korean, while 26 percent said it increased their affection for the country. Another 34 percent said it strengthened their emotional attachment to the national anthem and the national flag.
Those figures were substantially lower than after the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar, when the share saying the tournament made them proud to be Korean came in at 73 percent, while the share saying it increased their affection for the country reached 67 percent.
"The broad consensus that nationality should not matter remains unchanged, but we also observed a shift toward preferring a coach whose nationality is different from the previous coach," Lee Dong-han, a senior researcher at Hankook Research, said.
"Unlike previous international tournaments, this World Cup also failed to produce a noticeable boost in national pride and social cohesion."
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
