After two days in Korea, Klinsmann leaves for break

Korea's national soccer team coach, Jürgen Klinsmann, departed for the United States on Saturday. He had just returned from Qatar after the Asian Cup where the team was eliminated in the quarterfinals.

According to the Korea Football Association, Klinsmann boarded a plane on Saturday afternoon and headed to his home in Los Angeles, the U.S. He did not specify a return date. Klinsmann, who was born in Germany, holds dual citizenship, having obtained U.S. citizenship in 2012 while leading the U.S. national team. Although he had previously stated, upon his arrival at Incheon International Airport on Thursday after the Asian Cup, "I'm planning to return home to the U.S. next week for some rest. After the break, I intend to travel to Europe to check on the players competing in the European leagues," his departure occurred a bit earlier than expected.

Klinsmann, who was appointed as the national team's head coach in February of last year, has spent considerable time away from Korea, leading to controversy over his so-called 'working from home' approach. In September of last year, he departed for the U.S. five days after arriving in Korea for two A matches in the U.K. At the time, the KFA explained that Klinsmann was traveling to the U.S. to “pack up his belongings and take care of personal business at home ahead of the October A-Match schedule in Korea.”

The National Team Committee of the Korea Football Association plans to convene a meeting after the Lunar New Year holidays to discuss the overall management of the national team, including its performance at the Asian Cup. “Most of the committee members are current coaches, so we are coordinating the timing of the meeting around their teams' schedules, including winter training,” a KFA official said. “We will address Klinsmann's return schedule after the scheduled meeting."


hun@donga.com