{
  "id": 19596519,
  "title": "Son Heung-min says divisions at heart of South Korea team resolved",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/12/son-heung-min-says-divisions-at-heart-of-south-korea-team-resolved",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-12T03:36:46.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today-freemalays",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/sports/2026/11/12/son-heung-min-says-divisions-at-heart-of-south-korea-team-resolved"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "South Korean national football team captain Son Heung-min, along with four teammates, has declared that they have reconciled after reports of internal divisions within the squad surfaced. The controversy arose following South Korea's disappointing exit from the World Cup group stage, leading to coach Hong Myung-bo's resignation.\n\nSon, Kim Min-jae, Lee Jae-sung, Hwang In-beom, and Hwang Hee-chan released a joint statement to fans expressing their apologies for the concern caused by the reports. They acknowledged gathering to openly and honestly discuss their thoughts on the national team, which allowed them to gain a better understanding of each other's positions.\n\nDuring their talks, the players admitted to still being hurt by the World Cup experience and discussed what needed to change to avoid repeating past mistakes. They stated that they intend to put any unnecessary controversy behind them and focus on building a stronger national team together.\n\nSpanish coach Robert Moreno has taken over as interim coach, with his contract reportedly set to expire soon. South Korea are set to play Saudi Arabia in Qatar on Friday, followed by another friendly match against Qatar four days later. Originally, these matches were part of the build-up to the 2027 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia, but the tournament has been postponed to December next year.",
  "summary": "The squad has been mired in controversy since their disappointing World Cup group-stage exit and coach Hong Myung-bo’s resignation.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "New Straits Times",
        "title": "Heung Min says divisions at heart of South Korea team resolved",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/12/heung-min-says-divisions-at-heart-of-south-korea-team-resolved",
        "published": "2026-11-12T03:31:32.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}