The biggest question raised by Commissioner Park Ji-sung is ‘the national team’s tactical identity.’ He pointed out that Korea could not find a clear offensive blueprint for victory in the three group stage games. It is understandable that the team focused on defense, but detailed work in front of the goal or organized movements to create space were missing. In particular, the passive response of not increasing the number of attacks even after conceding a goal was an incomprehensible tactical choice on the way to the tournament, where points were desperately needed. He did not hide his regret, saying that the risk of elimination was the same whether the team lost 0-1 or 0-2, so they should have tried to turn it around by taking bold risks.

The tactical incompetence of isolating Son Heung-min despite having a world-class striker was also a key target of criticism. Commissioner Park pointed out that while Son Heung-min was struggling alone in the front line and receiving intensive checks from the opposing defense, even the pass path to him was not properly secured. The analysis is that the entire team lacked thought on how to open space in order to maximize Son Heung-min's greatest strength, his finishing ability. In addition, Manager Hong Myung-bo's decision to replace Son Heung-min early ultimately failed, making it clear that the manager must bear the brunt of the criticism for his mercenary skills.

Commissioner Park Ji-sung diagnosed that this disaster was not a simple decline in performance, but was caused by chronic problems in the entire Korean soccer system. Despite the fact that there was ample time to improve by using the failure of the 2014 Brazil World Cup as a lesson, the repetition of the same trial and error proves the structural flaws of the entire soccer world, including the Korea Football Association. He emphasized that there is no magic way to solve the problem all at once, and that long-term system reform of at least 10 years is needed for Korean soccer to move in the right direction. His cool-headed assessment is that the current crisis is not caused by a lack of individual player capabilities, but by the absence of tactical and administrative leadership that does not fully bring out that ability.

Even the possibility of a match of the century between Korea and Japan may be an extravagant assumption for the current national team. While Japan was on the rise in the group stage based on stable organizational skills, Korea lost trust due to their fluctuating performance in each game. Commissioner Park did not deny the fact that Japan is ahead of Korea at this point. This is more than just a simple rivalry, it is a painful indicator of how disorganized our preparation process has been. Before discussing the dream matchup between Korea and Japan in the round of 16, our national team is in an uncertain situation regarding its immediate future after the South Africa match, and this is a reality that Korean soccer must face calmly.