Fans' Reactions Following Coach Hong Myung-bo's Resignation

Following the resignation of South Korean national football team coach Hong Myung-bo, who took responsibility for the failure to advance to the Round of 32 in the 2026 World Cup in North America, the disappointment and outrage of football fans have not easily subsided. Videos expressing disappointment and anger towards Coach Hong and the Korea Football Association are rapidly spreading across online communities and social networking services (SNS), garnering millions of views. Let's take a closer look at this phenomenon.

Videos Capturing Fans' Outrage

A video uploaded to YouTube on June 29th, titled 'A Comfort Video Made Out of Anger Because of Hong Myung-bo,' has now surpassed 13 million views. This video features an AI-generated scene where midfielder Jens Castrop appears to hit former coach Hong Myung-bo on the back of the head. Castrop, who has a German father and a Korean mother, was first called up to the national team by Coach Hong Myung-bo. While he didn't play in the matches against the Czech Republic and Mexico in this World Cup, he made his debut as a substitute in the game against South Africa, which Korea lost 0-1.

The video has been flooded with comments like "I feel so relieved," and "All Koreans must feel this way," indicating widespread empathy among fans.

Reactions from Football YouTubers

Since Coach Hong Myung-bo's resignation, review and reaction videos of the South Africa match have also been achieving high view counts. Notably, a video where football YouTuber Gamst expressed intense anger during a live review has now exceeded 3.7 million views. Additionally, news clips and YouTube Shorts featuring legends of the 2002 World Cup like Park Ji-sung, Lee Young-pyo, and Ahn Jung-hwan discussing their regrets about the team's performance and tactical decisions are also rapidly spreading online, racking up hundreds of thousands of views.

Fans' Emotions and Psychological Interpretation

The disappointment and anger surrounding former coach Hong Myung-bo and the Korea Football Association cannot be solely explained by the result of failing to advance to the Round of 32 in the World Cup. Starting with controversies over the fairness of Coach Hong's appointment process, issues of administrative operations and accountability within the Korea Football Association followed. During the World Cup finals, disappointment regarding the team's performance, player selection, and tactical management accumulated. These emotions appear to have erupted all at once following the match losses.

From a psychological perspective, sharing strong emotions like anger with others can foster empathy and a sense of connection. The way fans respond to each other's emotions through comments demonstrates this psychological phenomenon.

The Need for Healthy Emotional Release

However, this sharing of emotions does not necessarily lead to a healthy resolution. Repeated exposure to anger might offer temporary empathy and comfort, but it can also bring those feelings back to the surface, causing them to linger longer. In fact, a psychological study published in 2002 found that dwelling on anger or repeatedly expressing it can escalate aggression.

Ultimately, for fans' disappointment and anger to subside, sufficient explanations regarding the background of the controversies and the restoration of trust will be necessary. We must remember that anger is difficult to resolve solely through shared emotions.