South Korea draw with Uzbekistan to close September–October friendlies

South Korea played Uzbekistan on 14 October 2026 in the last of four friendly matches held across September and October. The game ended in a draw and closed the national team's autumn window of warm-up fixtures.

The match was overshadowed by reports of a dispute afterwards. Hwang Hee-chan, Hwang In-beom and Kim Min-jae, three senior players, were reported to have stirred a row over international retirement, meaning whether established players should step back from the national team. The details of what was said have been reported only second-hand, and the players' own positions were not fully clear.

The episode mattered because the friendlies were meant to shape the squad and build cohesion in the months before the next major tournament. Questions about the commitment and future of veteran players raised concerns about unity inside the camp and about how the coaching staff would manage the generation change. That background explains the attention now paid to how the squad behaves when it gathers again.