As criticism mounts against former national soccer team coach Hong Myung-bo, who left for the United States after Korea's early exit from the 2026 North and Central America World Cup, a notice reading "Hong Myung-bo is banned from entry" posted on the door of a Korean restaurant in Los Angeles (LA), where Hong is known to be staying, is drawing attention.
On the 6th, a video was posted on X (formerly Twitter) showing the owner of a Korean restaurant in LA personally attaching a notice to the store's entrance that reads "Hong Myung-bo is banned from entry." The video was reportedly released shortly after news broke that the former coach had departed for the United States.
The former coach left for the United States after the World Cup group-stage elimination and resigning as national team coach. In the process, criticism arose over a "flight to the United States to evade responsibility," and negative reactions from soccer fans at home and abroad continued.
Earlier in Korea, criticism quickly spread over the national team's performance and the former coach's tactics. On online communities and social media, a photo of a notice reading "Hong Myung-bo is banned from entry" posted on a convenience store door circulated, cited as an example showing soccer fans' disappointment and anger.
Calls to hold the former coach accountable have also extended to a National Assembly petition. According to recent online community posts, a petition titled "Immediate dismissal of national soccer team coach Hong Myung-bo and introduction of a system to render null and void any violation of the national team coach appointment procedures" was filed on the national petition platform.