New York, June 28 -- Hong Myung-bo stepped down as South Korea's head coach on Sunday following the team's disappointing group-stage exit from the FIFA World Cup.

Hong announced his resignation at the team's training camp in Guadalajara after Saturday's results confirmed that South Korea had failed to qualify for the Round of 32, missing out on a place among the tournament's eight best third-placed teams.

"Today, I wish to step down as head coach of the South Korean national football team. Accepting this role was never an easy decision for me," Hong Myung-bo said as per Reuters.

"However, once I made that decision, I did not consider any other reasons. I believed my only task was to fulfil the responsibility entrusted to me to the end,...