South Korea’s head of football Chung Mong-gyu resigned on Monday, a week after the country ended their FIFA World Cup campaign early by failing to reach the knockout stages as one of the top eight third-placed teams.
His departure followed strong criticism from the country’s president, Lee Jae-myung, and the resignation of head coach Hong Myung-bo last week, after South Korea managed just three points in their group.
The team started with a 2-1 win in their opening match against the Czech Republic but lost 1-0 to Mexico and South Africa.
The earlier-than-expected elimination from the group stage was the third time it had happened in their four World Cups.
Chung, the long-time president of the Korea Football Association (KFA), has been at the helm since January 2013.
He agreed to resign earlier in the day after leading his final meeting with senior management at the Korea Football Stadium in Cheonan, about 90 kilometers south of Seoul.
In a statement released by the KFA, Chung thanked Korean soccer fans for their support and apologized for the times he disappointed them.
