Korean restaurants in US refuse to serve resigned coach Hong Myung-bo following World Cup exit

Coach Hong arrived in Los Angeles on July 2, just days after stepping down due to South Korea’s early elimination from the 2026 World Cup.

Images circulated online, specifically on platforms like X, Threads and Instagram, showing a South Korean restaurant owner attaching a “Hong Myung-bo is banned from entry” notice to their door.

In areas with large South Korean populations in Los Angeles, similar signs have appeared at various restaurants, cafes and grocery stores, according to Chosun.

This movement gained traction within the Korean-American online community following calls for business owners to participate.

“He probably thought it would all be forgotten soon. Let’s put up signs saying that he’s not welcome,” one user wrote.

Another account commented: “There are so many Koreans in Los Angeles; Hong will surely feel the backlash.”

Online forums have been flooded with criticism, with many fans pointing to Hong’s tactical decisions as the reason South Korea lost the opportunity to play their knockout matches in Los Angeles.

“People in Los Angeles are probably the most disappointed. If Korea had finished second in the group, they would have played the Round of 32 in Los Angeles. But even after falling behind, the team still passed the ball back instead of attacking and squandered their chance to finish second,” one frustrated fan wrote.

Another fan from California mentioned they had to cancel their trip after purchasing tickets for the anticipated Round of 32 and Round of 16 matches after South Korea’s elimination.

Many believe Hong should have remained in South Korea to explain the team’s performance rather than flying to the U.S. immediately.

Meanwhile, some argue the public reaction has been excessively harsh.

“Hong may be an unsuccessful coach, but the current wave of attacks has gone too far. Those who appointed him and the KFA leadership also need to take responsibility,” another user noted.

The boycott of Hong began in South Korea following the team’s 0-1 defeat to South Africa in their final group stage match on June 25. South Korean restaurants, coffee shops, convenience stores and even city buses refused to serve him, according to SBS.

South Korea finished 10th out of 12 third-placed teams in the group stage, failing to advance to the Round of 32, which took on eight best third-placed teams. This is the first time South Korea have been eliminated in the World Cup group stage since the 2018 tournament in Russia.

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung expressed his disbelief in a social media post on June 28, stating he was “surprised and completely incomprehensible” that the team were eliminated from a relatively comfortable group. He urged the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to conduct an investigation into the failure, Korea Times reported.

Hong had been appointed in July 2024 to replace Jurgen Klinsmann, successfully leading South Korea to qualify for their 11th consecutive World Cup.

The team started strong with a 2-1 victory over the Czech Republic, but following losses to Mexico and South Africa ultimately dashed their hopes of reaching the knockout stage.