Was Son Heung-min benched over media boycott? Whistleblower claims squad rift cost Korea at World Cup.
Rep. Jin Jong-oh claims a dispute over a player-led move to not speak with the media influenced Hong Myung-bo’s decision to start the veterans on the bench in Korea’s pivotal World Cup loss to South Africa.
Son Heung-min, left, and Lee Jae-sung watch the closing stages of Korea's Group A match against Mexico at the FIFA World Cup 2026 at Guadalajara Stadium in Zapopan, Mexico, on June 18.Yonhap
Rep. Jin Jong-oh, a former Olympic gold medalist sport shooter-turned-National Assembly lawmaker, alleged Wednesday that former manager Hong Myung-bo dropped star players Son Heung-min and Lee Jae-sung for the national team's decisive World Cup group stage defeat to South Africa because of a dispute over a player-led media boycott.
Jin, a member of the People Power Party and the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, said he had received information from multiple unnamed sources connected to the team. The allegations come days after he launched a whistleblower center to collect reports of alleged corruption and opaque administration at the Korea Football Association (KFA).
According to Jin, the dispute centered on whether players should continue boycotting media interviews after several journalists were inadvertently recorded mocking Son's military service exemption during training in Guadalajara, Mexico, on June 7. The recording was accidentally broadcast on YouTube by a television network.
Rep. Jin Jong-oh of the People Power PartyOFFICE OF REP. JIN JONG-OH
In response to that recording, the squad refused to speak to the media following its opening victory over the Czech Republic.
Jin said senior players, including Son and Lee, wanted the boycott to continue, while other members of the squad argued it should end because an extended refusal to conduct interviews during the World Cup was inappropriate.
According to the allegations, Lee, a close friend of Son, urged a KFA official to maintain the boycott, but Hong instructed the squad to resume speaking to the media after Korea's match against Mexico.
Most players subsequently gave interviews, although Son did not. Lee also did not speak to reporters, but his unavailability was due to a random selection for a doping test.
Lee Jae-sung, left, and Son Heung-min applaud after Korea's 1-0 defeat to Mexico in a Group A match at the FIFA World Cup 2026 at Guadalajara Stadium in Guadalajara, Mexico, on June 18.NEWS1
Hong Myung-bo leads training at Korea's base camp at the Chivas Valle Verde training facility in Zapopan, Mexico, on June 27.NEWS1
Jin claimed the disagreement formed the basis of Hong's decision to leave both Son and Lee out of the starting lineup for Korea's final group match against South Africa. He also cited one source as saying that omitting Lee, rather than Son, proved to be the more significant tactical mistake.
After the loss, Hong denied that there were problems within the squad.
"The atmosphere around the Mexico match was somewhat unsettled, but I don't think there are issues within the team," the manager said in his post-match press conference. He added that conditions during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil had been "about 50 times more difficult."
Jin also said he had received a separate allegation concerning midfielder Jens Castrop, who did not make his tournament debut until the second half in the Taeguk Warriors' final Group A match.
According to the source, Hong had been angered by an incident involving players leaving the team hotel during the tournament, but Castrop's involvement allegedly stemmed from a communication error between the player and team staff rather than misconduct.
"With hindsight, Hong chose not to start Son Heung-min and Lee Jae-sung against South Africa, and the team lost," Jin said. "Team selection is the manager's decision, but it is worth examining whether there were any problems in the process."
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.
