The South Korean squad had eggs hurled at them on what was meant to be a warm homecoming welcome after the World Cup in Russia.
The team arrived at Incheon International Airport on Friday, having exited the World Cup at the group stage despite a stunning 2-0 win against reigning champions Germany in their final group game.
Their heroics in that game clearly weren’t enough for some fans, as the players had a small number of eggs hurled at them as they lined up at the airport in front of around 500 fans.
Cushions with what appeared to be a British flag design on them were also thrown in the direction of the team.
The apparent protests came from a minority of the fans in attendance, perhaps over anger at the team’s failure to progress in Russia following defeats to Sweden and Mexico in their first two games.
Speaking at the homecoming, coach Shin Tae-Yong expressed disappointment at his team’s early arrival home.
"I didn't want to come home until July and it's disappointing to be back home in June," Shin said, according to ESPN.
"I'd like to thank our fans for their love and support. Without our fans, we wouldn't have been able to create the miracle that we did."
Star forward Son Heung-Min, who scored twice in Russia – a stunning goal against Mexico and a late strike to confirm the win against Germany – was almost struck by an egg, but still went on to express gratitude to fans, as well as offer contrition over the early exit.
"Thank you to all of you who came today," said Son. "I am sorry to our fans that we didn't live up to our promise of reaching the knockout stage but I think we all saw some hope from the win over Germany. But we won't get carried away with that bit of success, and we'll continue to work hard."