Hwang In-beom denies Korea '96 trio' retirement; KFA calls it false

📰 Reports of a joint international retirement by Kim Min-jae, Hwang Hee-chan and Hwang In-beom surfaced overnight, but Hwang In-beom and the KFA quickly shut them down. 📌 Key points 📸 The three 1996-born players posed together on the empty pitch after the Uzbekistan game. 📰 An exclusive report soon claimed they had told teammates they would retire. 🙅 Hwang In-beom denied it directly: "No, no." 🏛️ The KFA called the reports "clearly false and groundless". 🤐 Kim Min-jae and Hwang Hee-chan left without answering questions. 📝 What happened 📸 After Korea's 2-0 win over Uzbekistan at Yongin Mireu Stadium on 6 October, Hwang In-beom (Porto), Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich) and Hwang Hee-chan (Schalke), all born in 1996, walked back out onto the empty pitch for a photo together. Shortly afterwards an exclusive report claimed the trio had told teammates they intended to retire from the national team. 🙅 Asked in the mixed zone whether he was retiring, Hwang In-beom smiled and replied "No, no". He said he "didn't cry while the photo was being taken" and that the tears came during a post-match interview. He explained he had felt powerless since failing to deliver at the last World Cup, and that injury had left him short of his best during this camp. 🏛️ A KFA official said the joint-retirement reports were "clearly false and groundless". According to Dailian, technical committee chair Hyun Young-min also spoke with the three players for around an hour after the match, and retirement never came up. 🤐 Kim and Hwang Hee-chan stayed silent, though. Kim had voiced his frustration after being substituted against Venezuela and was then left out of the squad for Uzbekistan, while Hwang Hee-chan walked away without answering when asked if he was retiring. 📊 By the numbers • Three players at the centre of the rumour, all born in 1996 • Korea 2-0 Uzbekistan (6 October) • Around one hour of talks with Hyun Young-min (per Dailian) 🔭 Why it matters The three have been the backbone of Korea's defence, midfield and attack. The KFA and Hwang In-beom have denied the story, but with two of the three saying nothing, questions remain. Hwang In-beom said he "went into the game thinking it could be my last", yet called a November call-up "the coach's decision". Whether all three appear in Moreno's November squad will be the real answer.