SOCCER: Son Heung-min vows to ‘win back hearts’ of South Korea after World Cup exit

South Korea captain and star forward Son Heung-min issued a heartfelt apology to fans on Instagram on Monday after the national team was eliminated in the group stage of the FIFA World Cup.

South Korea finished with a 1-2-0 record in Group A after suffering a 1-0 defeat to South Africa in its final group match. The loss secured second place in the group for South Africa, while South Korea failed to qualify as one of the eight best third-place teams advancing to the expanded 32-team knockout stage. The team ended its campaign with a minus-1 goal differential.

Head coach Hong Myung-bo faced criticism after choosing not to start Son in the decisive match against South Africa. Son came on as a halftime substitute but was limited to one shot.

In his Instagram post, Son expressed deep regret over the team's performance and acknowledged the disappointment of supporters.

"I don't think a single 'I'm sorry' could ever fully express the disappointment and pain our fans are feeling," Son wrote, according to a translation of his post from Korean.

"Every day, every moment, countless emotions have been crossing my mind. I wanted to make sure I shared at least these thoughts with all of you who have been going through an even harder time than anyone else," he added.

Son vowed to regain the trust of South Korean fans by continuing to dedicate himself to football.

"Rather than trying to express everything with words right now, I will do my very best from where I stand to win back the hearts of the people of South Korea and our football fans. I will dedicate my life to football so that I can once again bring you joy," he said.

"I have never forgotten the promises I made to you. Until the day you call for me again, until the day you need me again, I will pour everything I have into preparing myself to return stronger."

The 33-year-old also said he felt "an enormous sense of responsibility" for not repaying the unwavering support and encouragement shown by fans throughout the tournament.

Son's apology came a day after Hong resigned as head coach. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung also directed the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to investigate the circumstances surrounding the team's early exit from the tournament.

"We will swiftly push forward with reforms to sports administration to ensure such a thing never happens again," Lee said in a statement.

Son, who plays for Los Angeles FC in Major League Soccer, also urged supporters to continue backing the national team and avoid directing excessive criticism at the players.

"I ask that you send our players support and encouragement rather than directing excessive criticism and hurt toward them," he said.

— Field Level Media/Reuters