Under the leadership of manager Uli Stielike, the South Korean players underperformed in the first two matches against Oman and Kuwait.

They won both matches, but expressed dissatisfaction with Stielike, who then handed over command to assistant manager Shin Tae-yong for the rest of the tournament.

Goalkeeper Kim Jin-hyeon then kept a clean sheet in every match until the final, as the team eliminated Uzbekistan and Iraq in the quarter-finals and semi-finals, respectively.

South Korea lost 2–0 to Brazil, but a 2–2 draw with Costa Rica and a 2–1 victory against Spain were enough to progress for the first time ever at a World Cup.

[1] When the first round and semi-final match were finished as draws, their winners were decided on the regular season rankings without extra time and the penalty shoot-out.