South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has blamed the ⁠country’s early World ⁠Cup exit on favouritism in ⁠personnel appointments and blasted coach Hong Myung-bo, while demanding a sports ministry-led investigation into the national team’s performance.

“I am not just taken aback by this unexpected outcome, I am utterly baffled,” Lee posted on ‌X on Sunday, reacting to the team’s elimination despite being widely expected to advance from a relatively easy group.

“Once again, it has been proven that personnel decisions are everything. When ‘us versus them’ is prioritised over competence, and an incompetent person is selected as a leader, the outcome is as ⁠clear as day.”

Successive losses to Mexico and South Africa left South Korea third ‌in Group A, outside the eight best third-placed teams advancing to the round of 32.

Hong’s reappointment as national team manager in 2024 ‌had already led to allegations of favouritism and an opaque hiring ⁠process from Korean ⁠media, all of which Hong denied.

“The reason such botched appointments — which fail to distinguish between public and ‌private interests and prioritise personal gain over the public good — are possible is that it is impossible or ‌difficult ‌to monitor, check, and hold those with appointment authority accountable,” Lee wrote.