U-23 Korean National Team Manager Hwang Sun-hong Appointed as Interim Senior National Team Manager

Hwang Sun-hong has been selected as the interim manager for both the U-23 Korean national team and the senior national team by the Korea Football Association (KFA). This decision was made by the National Team Committee following Hwang’s successful coaching achievements, including a recent victory at the Hangzhou Asian Games.

Despite the dual roles, Hwang will lead the senior team in the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Thailand next month. Additionally, he will guide the U-23 team in the 2024 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 Asian Cup in Qatar, which also serves as a qualifier for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

The position of the Korean men’s national team manager became available after Jurgen Klinsmann was dismissed due to Korea’s disappointing exit from the AFC Asian Cup. Initially, the committee aimed to appoint a permanent manager before the World Cup qualifiers, but they shifted focus to finding a caretaker coach first following fan backlash over potentially recruiting a K League 1 coach.

Hwang emerged as the preferred choice over other candidates, including Hong Myung-bo and Kim Hak-bum. Despite rumors of Park Hang-seo being considered for the caretaker coach role, Chung confirmed that Hwang was the committee’s top pick. After deliberations and discussions with the KFA, Hwang accepted the position, solidifying his new role within the Korean national team structure.