The domestic coaching staff to assist South Korea national soccer team coach Hong Myung-bo has been completed.
The Korea Football Association announced on the 16th that it had appointed former K League 1 (1st division) Suwon FC manager Park Geon-ha (53), Kitchee (Hong Kong) acting manager Kim Dong-jin (42), and K League 1 Seoul FC power reinforcement director Kim Jin-gyu (39) as the domestic coaching staff for ‘Hong Myung-bo’.
Among the three appointed coaches, Coach Park has a particularly deep connection with Coach Hong Myung-bo. Coach Park, who previously coached Seoul E-Land and Suwon, contributed to winning the first ever Olympic football medal (bronze) by leading the U-23 national football team with Coach Hong at the 2012 London Olympics. He also worked with Coach Hong as he took charge of the national football team and challenged for the 2014 Brazil World Cup. Coach Park, who joined the national team as head coach during the second round of the World Cup qualifiers in June, will also be with Coach Hong at the 2026 North and Central America (USA, Canada, Mexico) World Cup. Coach Kim Dong-jin, who played as a national team defender, made his professional debut in 2000 with LG, the predecessor of Seoul, and played for Zenit (Russia), Hangzhou (China), Muangthong (Thailand), and E-Land. He has been building his coaching career since retiring from his current team Kitchee in 2018.
Coach Kim Jin-gyu is also a former national team defender who served as captain of various national teams and clubs during his playing days and demonstrated leadership. After retiring in 2017, he served as a coach, acting coach, and head of the power reinforcement office in Seoul. Considering that Coach Park, who was a striker, changed his position to center back right before retirement, all three coaches are defenders. A Korea Football Association official said, “The coaches appointed this time were all personally decided and proposed by Coach Hong Myung-bo.”
Goalkeeper coach Yang Yeong-min (50), physical coaches Lee Jae-hong (41) and Jeong Hyeon-gyu (37), who were with the national team during the two matches against China and Singapore in the second round of the 2026 North and Central America World Cup qualifiers in June under the interim coach system, will also join to assist coach Hong. However, unlike Coach Park, who was reported to be the head coach, the plan is to decide on the head coach after two foreign coaches are appointed early next week. A Korea Football Association official said, “Two foreign coaches are scheduled to come, but the announcement was somewhat delayed because we had to sort out the existing contracts with their teams,” and “The head coach will be decided after all foreign coaches, who are scheduled to be announced early next week, are appointed.”
The new coaches will make their first steps with the national team starting with the 27th round of K League 1 on the 16th. Coach Hong will watch the match between Seoul and Jeju United at Seoul World Cup Stadium on the same day, while Coach Park will watch the match between Daegu and Gimcheon in Daegu.
Reporter Kim Jeong-hun [email protected]
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2024-08-17 00:22:05