Lee Min-seong, head coach of South Korea's under-23 (U-23) national team, said the "penalty shootout controversy" raised by some was a misunderstanding.
The U-23 team led by Lee Min-seong completed its schedule at the 2026 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 Asian Cup and returned to Korea from Saudi Arabia through Incheon International Airport on the 25th (Korean time).
Although the team left aiming for the championship, it did not return with smiles. The final result of this tournament was fourth place. Since they reached the semifinals, it cannot be seen as a very bad result, but there were many disappointments in the process.
Lee Min-seong's team recorded 1 win, 1 draw and 1 loss in the group stage, including a 0-2 loss to Uzbekistan, which fielded a team of under-21 players preparing for the 2028 Los Angeles (LA) Olympics. Although they were pushed to the brink of elimination, they narrowly advanced to the quarterfinals in second place in the group thanks to Lebanon catching Iran in the final match.
As Lee Min-seong said, Korea, which received a "heaven-sent opportunity," beat Australia 2-1 in the quarterfinals. They earned a thrilling victory and advanced to the semifinals thanks to a late header by Shin Min-ha (Gangwon FC). But they met a Japan side two years younger in the semifinals and lost 0-1, ending their run to the final. In particular, they left a disappointing impression, being dominated in first-half shots 1-10.
Most of all, the finish was very poor. Korea finished the tournament in fourth place after losing to Vietnam, coached by Kim Sang-sik, in a penalty shootout in the third-place match, failing to end on a high note. Although the opponent was sent off in the second half, Shin Min-ha's dramatic equalizer kept them alive, but they failed to score in extra time and lost the shootout 6-7.
There was criticism about the penalty shootout as well. It was because goalkeeper Hwang Jae-yoon (Suwon FC), who started for the first time in this tournament, failed to read the opponents' kick directions even once. From the first kicker through the sixth, he consistently dove to the right, but the Vietnamese players all kicked the other way.
Then Korea faced defeat when seventh kicker Bae Hyun-seok's shot was saved. Hwang Jae-yoon changed his effort and ran to the left, but Vietnam read that psychology and changed their kick direction accordingly. Effectively, they aimed for the seventh and missed all seven. In the end, Korea bitterly fell to its knees.
After the match Hwang Jae-yoon posted an apology on social media. It appears fierce criticism and abusive messages poured in toward him. Some fans tried to place the responsibility for the loss on a single player.
Then Hwang Jae-yoon said, "First, I received no instructions from the coach or staff. This is entirely my fault," and added, "I will humbly accept all the words directed at me. I want to say sorry once again. I am sorry," bowing his head repeatedly.
It did not end there. About four hours later Hwang Jae-yoon posted another explanation. He said, "I received many contacts due to misunderstandings about my post. What I meant by saying there were no instructions was that the choice of penalty direction was entirely my choice," and added, "Because it was my choice, I will humbly accept the criticism and blame. Once again, I bow my head and apologize."
Hwang Jae-yoon is bearing an excessively harsh burden over a single defeat. He is a rookie goalkeeper who made his professional debut just last year with Suwon FC and was even a candidate for the K League 1 Young Player of the Year in October. In this tournament, he gave way to Hong Seong-min (Pohang) in goal and waited on the bench through the semifinals, making his first start in the final match.
After Hwang Jae-yoon's post was uploaded, criticism arose among fans that the national team coaching staff had prepared carelessly. The phrase in his apology, "I received no instructions at all," could be mistakenly interpreted to mean the bench gave no instructions and merely stood by.
Coach Lee Min-seong addressed the controversy, saying, "We prepared for penalty shootouts from the quarterfinals. It seems Hwang Jae-yoon's social media post caused that. It was something we didn't even know about," and added, "We knew two players would take penalties, but those two players were substituted. Also, if possible we give the goalkeeper the choice. We don't coach them by saying 'dive this way.'"
A Korea Football Association official also told reporters that the team had analyzed the opponents in advance and had materials in preparation for penalty shootouts. However, the final choice was left to goalkeeper Hwang Jae-yoon. It is understood that advice at the bench level was naturally given, and based on that the goalkeeper who stands in front of the goal decided the direction.
Meanwhile, at the airport Lee Min-seong was reserved about what was done well and what needed improvement. He said, "All reviews are not finished and we are in a chaotic state. After finishing the review with the association and the chairperson, it would be better to distribute it overall, comprehensively," and added that the U-23 team will be gathered during the March A match window and the June A match window to work together.
[Photo] Provided by the Korea Football Association.
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