Hong Myung-bo, a South Korean football legend who guided the country to the Olympic football bronze medal last year, was shortlisted for the vacant national head coaching job on Wednesday.

A day after South Korea qualified for its eighth consecutive FIFA World Cup, the Korea Football Association announced that Hong and three others will be vying for the senior national team post, following Choi Kang-hee’s resignation.

At a press conference, Huh Jung-moo, a vice chairman of the KFA, said the KFA’s technical committee recommended Hong as “the strongest candidate” of the four. The technical committee had met earlier in the day to find a replacement for the outgoing Choi.

Huh declined to reveal the names of three other candidates, only saying they are well-known coaches. He said the KFA could name the new coach by early next week following a meeting of its senior officials.

Hong, 44, has long been regarded as a front-runner among Korean nationals, thanks to his success with national teams at lower-age groups. The former national team captain led South Korea’s U23 team to the bronze medal at the London Olympics last year for the country’s first Olympic football medal. (Yonhap News)