ANCHOR: The Korea Football Association has fired national soccer team head coach, Cho Kwang-rae. Cho, who took over the helm of the national team in July last year, came under pressure to resign following the team’s loss to Lebanon in the third regional qualifying round for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Beirut last month. Our Bae Joo-yon has the story.

REPORT: Cho Kwang-rae was first notified of the Korea Football Association's decision to dismiss him Wednesday evening.

The association’s technical committee chief, Hwangbo Kwan, said at a news conference on Thursday that he met with Cho on Wednesday and recommended he step down. Hwangbo said the association concluded it would be difficult for the national team to earn a berth in the finals of the 2014 World Cup under its current management in light of its recent performance.

Cho said early Thursday that he was baffled by the football association’s move.

Cho has led Team Korea since July of last year. Under his leadership, the national team saw 12 wins, three losses and six ties. Cho won the hearts of many soccer fans with his Spanish-style game tactics based on short passes. However, he was also criticized for his heavy dependence on overseas-based star players. Some sarcastically referred to his strategy as "cartoon plays" since his game plans were often considered difficult to follow.

Amid such criticisms, the national team saw one victory and one loss during the third regional qualifying round for the 2014 World Cup and missed its opportunity to swiftly earn a spot in the final qualification round for the World Cup games.

Korea Football Association President Cho Chung-yun told reporters on Thursday that the association will pick an experienced coach who can resolve the situation the team is currently facing. He added that the new coach could come from Korea or abroad.

Sports insiders say former national team assistant coach Afshin Ghotbi, who is now the head coach of Japan’s Shimizu S-Pulse team, and Jeonbuk Motors coach Choi Kang-hee are being considered for the job.

The association is also apparently considering having Olympic soccer team coach, Hong Myung-bo, concurrently serve as temporary head of the national team.

Currently, the South Korean National soccer team sits atop Group B with ten points.

Bae Joo-yon, KBS World Radio News.