U-23 boss Hwang Sun-hong replaces Klinsmann as interim manager

U-23 manager Hwang Sun-hong instructs his players during the Hangzhou Asian Games final between Korea and Japan at HSC Stadium in Hangzhou, China on Oct. 7, 2023. [YONHAP]

Korean U-23 national team manager Hwang Sun-hong has been appointed as the interim manager of the senior national team until May, the KFA announced Tuesday.

Hwang will take the helm of the senior team until the KFA appoints a permanent manager by early May, leaving him in charge of the two 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Thailand on March 21 and March 26.

The appointment comes after the KFA removed Jurgen Klinsmann from the manager position on Feb. 16 after a year at the helm overshadowed by criticism for a perceived lack of tactical awareness and his failure to win the AFC Asian Cup, where Korea exited with a semifinal loss to Jordan.

The KFA initially decided to appoint a permanent manager following the dismissal of Klinsmann, but it reversed its decision on Saturday to instead appoint an interim manager after Korean football fans held a protest in front of the KFA headquarters in central Seoul over fears the KFA would attempt to poach a K League manager.

The KFA reportedly planned to appoint Ulsan HD manager Hong Myung-bo or FC Seoul boss Kim Gi-dong as permanent senior team manager, which would have been devastating for the K League teams ahead of the 2024 season that begins on Friday.

Hwang will have a busy schedule until May, as he also has to prepare for the AFC U-23 Asian Cup in April, where the U-23 squad has to finish in third to qualify for the Paris Olympics in July.

The senior squad will play two World Cup qualifiers in March, before playing two remaining games in June.

Korea is leading Group C of the second round of the World Cup qualifiers, in which teams play in a home-and-away format, with group winners and runners-up reaching the third round.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]