South Korea captain Son Heung-min has apologized for the team's group-stage exit at the World Cup, saying he is “indescribably hurt” and eager to “win the hearts” of the nation once again.
In a long post on Instagram on Monday night, Son — a soccer superstar in South Korea and a big name in Major League Soccer with Los Angeles FC — said he understood the disappointment of the team's fans after its performances in the tournament that have drawn harsh criticism from the country’s president and led to the resignation of coach Hong Myung-bo.
“I don’t dare to convey the disappointment and hurt of the fans with a single word ‘sorry,’” Son wrote, “so even saying those words feels insufficient.
“The ‘child’s dream stage’ that I always talked about has collapsed,” he added. “I’m indescribably stuck and hurt. To be honest, it’s still not easy to accept this reality.”
The team failed to advance as one of the third-place group finishers.
Recommended for you
Son, who started on the bench for the group closer against South Africa, didn't score a goal at the World Cup and said he felt a personal responsibility that “I couldn’t repay the time, heart, and constant support and love” that the fans gave.
In a signal he wouldn't be retiring from international soccer, the 33-year-old Son said “I will do my best in my position again to win the hearts of the Korean people and football fans.”
Son also called on the team's supporters to “send warm support and encouragement rather than criticizing and hurting all the players.”
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO
personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who
make comments. Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,
racist or sexually-oriented language. Don't threaten. Threats of harming another
person will not be tolerated. Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone
or anything. Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on
each comment to let us know of abusive posts. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Anyone violating these rules will be issued a
warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be
revoked.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.