Seoul, June 28 -- South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has attributed the country's early exit from the FIFA World Cup 2026 to "flawed" personnel appointments and called for a sports ministry-led review of the national team's campaign.

South Korea, placed in Group A, began their World Cup campaign with a victory over Czechia but suffered consecutive defeats against Mexico and South Africa, finishing third in the group and failing to secure a place among the eight best third-placed teams advancing to the Round of 32.

In a post on X, President Lee Jae Myung called South Korea's early World Cup exit disappointing and criticised the team's personnel decisions, saying that prioritising factional loyalty over competence led to the disappointi...