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K-Pop Star Kim Heechul Laments South Korea's World Cup Exit
🇰🇷 South Korea /Sports

K-Pop Star Kim Heechul Laments South Korea's World Cup Exit

From Dong-A Ilbo · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • Super Junior member Kim Heechul expressed disappointment over South Korea's elimination from the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
  • South Korea finished third in Group A with one win and two losses, failing to advance to the tournament.
  • Heechul lamented the team's performance, stating it was difficult to watch and that "one person's mistake" led to the outcome.

South Korean football team's failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup has drawn disappointment from various figures, including Super Junior member Kim Heechul. The national team, managed by Hong Myung-bo, finished third in Group A with a record of one win and two losses, accumulating three points and a -1 goal difference. This result eliminated them from contention for the 32-team tournament.

Heechul shared his feelings on social media, posting a clip of the match between North Korea and Uzbekistan. He expressed a desire to see more games, especially as he heard it might be Son Heung-min's last World Cup. "I wanted to see at least one more game, but if it's like this, there's no hope at all," he wrote.

I wanted to see at least one more game, but if it's like this, there's no hope at all.

— Kim HeechulExpressing his disappointment on social media after South Korea's World Cup qualification failure.

Reflecting on the team's performance, Heechul added, "To those elves and people around me who taught me so much about soccer, which I don't know. To think it came to this because of one person's mistake. The players worked hard." South Korea had aimed for a third tournament appearance and a second consecutive Round of 16 finish, following their successes in 2002 (semifinals), 2010 (Round of 16), and 2022 (Round of 16).

To think it came to this because of one person's mistake. The players worked hard.

— Kim HeechulCommenting on the team's elimination and acknowledging the players' efforts.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Dong-A Ilbo in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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