"If we let these players make their own decisions and hold themselves accountable, rather than passively follow instructions, then I think we will have a team that runs proactively." That's South Korea head coach Hong Myung-bo, and it's a more self-aware coaching philosophy than you usually get out of a World Cup press conference.
Hong unveiled his 26-man squad on Saturday ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and the headline isn't just the names — it's the approach. He's deliberately stepping back from the top-down authority model that defines most national team setups, leaning into player ownership during a training camp that affords him something rare: weeks of actual preparation time.
Salt Lake City, altitude, and an unusual runway
South Korea play all three Group A matches in Mexico, two of them in high-altitude Guadalajara. The KFA's response is logical — base the pre-tournament camp in Salt Lake City, Utah, where the elevation is similar. Six K League-based players depart Monday; the European contingent joins the following week. Warmup matches against Trinidad and Tobago and El Salvador will give Hong — and notably Hwang In-beom — a chance to build match sharpness before the real thing.
Hwang, Feyenoord's defensive midfielder and South Korea's most reliable operator in that role, has been working back from an ankle injury picked up in March. Hong's assessment is cautiously encouraging: conditioning is fine, intensity training has gone well, but he simply hasn't played. Those two warmup fixtures matter a lot for him specifically. Without Hwang functioning properly, Hong may need to repurpose Gangwon FC's Lee Gi-hyuk — a defender by listing, a versatile option by design — into a midfield role.
Lee is the squad's biggest surprise. Twenty-five years old, one cap, selected largely on the back of an excellent K League 1 season with the meanest defense in the division. Hong tracked Gangwon closely all season and decided that form and confidence trump experience. Whether that reads as bold or risky depends entirely on how Lee performs under World Cup pressure.
Son's scoring drought — and why Hong isn't panicking
Son Heung-min heads to his fourth World Cup, equaling Hong himself for the most appearances by a South Korean player. The numbers this season look thin on goals — two in 19 appearances across all competitions, none in MLS — but Hong has a specific explanation: at LAFC, Son plays below the front line, cutting off his usual scoring lanes. The national team role is different.
That's a reasonable read, not a defensive one. Son still leads MLS in assists, so he hasn't stopped affecting games — the output has just shifted. Whether he can flip back into a more central, goalscoring position for South Korea in Group A is the genuine tactical question. With Mexico, Czechia, and South Africa standing between Korea and the round of 32, goals from their captain aren't optional.
Hong's stated primary goal is reaching the round of 32 — the new knockout threshold in a 48-team tournament where the top two from each 12-group format advance, plus eight best third-place finishers. It's a pragmatic target, not a defeatist one. Group A is genuinely open, and a Korea side with Hwang fit and Son in his right role has a credible path through it.
"Once you get there, you don't know what's going to happen. I think we can even get to a place that none of us can imagine." Coaches say things like that. What's more interesting is whether handing the players real responsibility in training camp actually produces a team that believes it — or just one that had a nice few weeks in Utah.
