Hong Myung-bo, a South Korean football legend who guided the country to the Olympic football bronze medal last year, was shortlisted for the vacant national head coaching job on Wednesday.
A day after South Korea qualified for its eighth consecutive FIFA World Cup, the Korea Football Association (KFA) announced that Hong and three others will be vying for the senior national team post, following Choi Kang-hee's resignation.
At a press conference, Huh Jung-moo, a vice chairman of the KFA, said the KFA's technical committee recommended Hong as "the strongest candidate" of the four. The technical committee had met earlier in the day to find a replacement for the outgoing Choi, whose resignation offer was also accepted by the KFA on Wednesday.
Huh declined to reveal the names of three other candidates, only saying they are well-known coaches. He said the KFA could name the new coach by early next week following a meeting of its senior officials.
Hong, 44, has long been regarded as a front-runner among South Korean nationals, thanks to his success with national teams at lower-age groups.
The former national team captain led South Korea's under-23 team to the bronze medal at the London Olympics last year for the country's first Olympic football medal. Before that, South Korea under Hong won bronze at the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games, also open only to players under 23 years of age.
In 2009, Hong coached the U-20 national team to the country's first quarterfinals at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 18 years.
He began his coaching career as an assistant on the senior national team from 2005 to 2007, and then on the U-23 team from 2007 to 2008.
Key players from the London Olympics have also made the senior national team during the qualifying rounds and are likely to stay on, which would mean familiarity with Hong's philosophy should he succeed Choi.
Hong has been known for his charismatic leadership both during his playing days and in his coaching career.
He also brings an illustrious playing resume. The defensive stalwart played 136 international matches, most by a South Korean player, and is the first Asian to play in four consecutive World Cup finals, from 1990 to 2002.
"Hong played in four World Cups as a player," Huh noted, saying the KFA took into account the candidates' playing experience and leadership skills. "And as a coach, he's proven himself on the senior and the U-23 squads."
Hong recently received coaching training under Guus Hiddink, former South Korean national team head coach, with the Russian club FC Anzhi. Hong served as the national team captain under Hiddink when South Korea slashed football giants and reached the semifinals at the 2002 World Cup, co-hosted by South Korea and Japan.
Choi Kang-hee took over the national team in December 2011, in the midst of the penultimate Asian qualification round for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, and said from the beginning that he would only coach South Korea until the end of the final qualification stage, whether or not the team would actually make it to the World Cup.
South Korea dropped to Iran 1-0 on Tuesday in Ulsan, about 410 kilometers southeast of Seoul, but still earned one of four automatic berths to the quadrennial tournament given to Asia.
After the match, Choi confirmed his intention to step down from the national team and return to his former professional club, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in the domestic K League Classic.
The KFA denied a local media report from earlier Wednesday that Hong had already been tabbed as Choi's successor. An official of the KFA said Hong is "one of the candidates under review" but nothing has been determined.
Choi, on the other hand, has said a foreign coach on the national team would likely have more independence and leeway on the bench. South Korea has had mixed success with foreign coaches.
Hiddink, from the Netherlands, put South Korea in the semifinals at the 2002 World Cup, the country's best showing at the tournament, but those who came after him never quite matched that success. With Dick Advocaat, also from the Netherlands, as the head coach, South Korea earned its first away World Cup victory at the 2006 tournament in Germany but fell one point shy of a spot in the group stage.
Then under South Korean coach Huh Jung-moo, the team made it past the group stage at the 2010 South Africa World Cup, the country's first appearance in the knockout stage at an away World Cup.
Senol Gunes of Turkey is also seen as a viable candidate. The 61-year-old coached FC Seoul in the K League Classic from 2007 to 2009, finishing as the league runner-up in 2008. He took Turkey to the semifinals at the 2002 World Cup and has also enjoyed success with the Turkish pro club Trabzonspor.
Huh said a foreign coach must have guided a team to the knockout stage at a World Cup to qualify as the new South Korean head coach.
The new coach will likely be named within the next month or so.
Starting on July 20, South Korea will host the East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) East Asian Cup, a tournament that will bring together South Korea, Japan, Australia and China on the men's side.
Between August and November, South Korea will also look to schedule some international friendlies. (Yonhap News)
