The South Korean national football team’s manager, Hong Myung-bo, has apologized to the Korean people for the team’s poor performance in the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
 
Upon returning home early Monday morning, Hong held a news conference and said he is sorry for failing to meet the people’s expectations.
 
He blamed himself for the team’s performance in Brazil and said he believes the World Cup provided the opportunity for the South Korean players to learn. He stressed that the players still have a bright future ahead of them.
 
When asked about his future plans, Hong replied that it wasn’t the time to discuss the issue as he had just made a long trip back home and was exhausted. He did say, however, that he had put some thought into his future, but it was not an easy decision to make.
 
Some 200 people, including reporters and soccer fans, were present at the airport when Team Korea returned from Brazil.
 
The national team had sought to advance into the quarter finals for the first time on foreign soil, but failed to make it to the round of 16 after scoring one draw and two losses.