'Best of all' Lee Kang-in, Hwang Seon-hong, who holds the fate Should we select the national team?

Conflict with Son Heung-min at the Asian Cup Controversy over Ha Geuk-sang, coach Hwang collaborates with Lee Kang-in and Kim in last year's World Cup, announces roster for the World Cup 2nd qualifying match against Thailand on March 11

Hwang Seon-hong, coach of the U-23 national soccer team, took on the role of temporary head coach for the A team, which was in disarray both internally and externally, and acted as a 'firefighter'.

At its third meeting on the 27th, the Korea Football Association's National Team Strengthening Committee appointed Coach Hwang as interim coach for the two-game series of the 2026 North, Central America World Cup Asian region second qualifying round match against Thailand to be held next month.

The match will be held in Seoul on March 21st and in Bangkok, Thailand on the 26th. Coach Hwang will temporarily lead both the A national team and the U-23 national team.

Coach Hwang must control the chaotic atmosphere following the dismissal of coach Jurgen Klinsmann (Germany). We also need a win against Thailand.

The biggest task above all is resolving internal strife within the team.

During the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup, captains Son Heung-min (Tottenham) and Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) clashed, sparking controversy.

Lee Kang-in personally went to London, England, where Son Heung-min is located, and expressed his intention to apologize, and although Son Heung-min accepted and reconciled, public opinion toward Lee Kang-in is still cold.

At the association level, there was no will to investigate the cause and extent of the physical conflict at the time, so the internal conflict was virtually resolved without any clear resolution.

Regardless of the national team's performance or results, Coach Hwang has no choice but to bear the burden of taking care of the situation.

Association President Chung Mong-gyu spoke about the internal strife at the announcement of Coach Klinsmann's dismissal on the 16th, saying, “Discussing too much about right and wrong can open wounds and make them worse. The media and fans who love soccer must also help. “They are all young people, so I hope you can help them get better treatment,” he said.

At the same time, regarding the possibility of disciplinary action, he said, “I looked at the provisions, but they are not our players. The only punishment is not to convene. “It’s something we’ll talk about later when the national team coach is appointed,” he said.

Coach Hwang's concerns are expected to increase ahead of the national team entry announcement on the 11th of next month. Regardless of whether you are selected or not, there is a high possibility that there will be a lot of behind-the-scenes stories and various interpretations.

Coach Hwang teamed up with Lee Kang-in at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games last year and led them to their third consecutive Asian Games victory. It's a good memory. In addition, he teamed up with Jung Woo-young (Stuttgart) and Seol Young-woo (Ulsan), who are known as members of the 'table tennis game' that started the friction, to win three consecutive titles in the Asian Games.

Attention is being paid to Director Hwang's choice. 한국야동