After a tentative first half, Uruguay defender Jose Gimenez shrugged off his marker to head in the-68th minute winner in front of a sellout 38,000 crowd at the Goyang Stadium with Stielike in the stands.
The home side, guided by a trio that included former head coach Shin Tae-yong, made their first foray just before the half-time when Son Heung-min's effort was kept out by a diving Martin Silva.
Uruguay, without striker Luis Suarez who is serving a ban for biting Italy's Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup, and their coach Oscar Tabarez, recovering from a back operation, showed more urgency in the second half.
Forward Abel Hernandez's lob missed the target and the Hull City player's shot in the very next minute was cleared by the South Korean custodian.
With Uruguay asserting themselves, South Korea's defence finally crumbled when Gimenez rose over his markers to head in a De Arrascaeta freekick from the left of the box.
Ki Sung-yueng's 85th minute header hit the crossbar and the Koreans appealed for a penalty claiming the midfielder was elbowed but the referee felt otherwise.
Stielike, succeeding Hong Myung-bo, who stepped down in July after the team's winless World Cup campaign in Brazil, promised to do his best to help improve the Koreans who beat Venezuela 3-1 on Friday.
"I can't guarantee you that I will win every match," the Yonhap news agency quoted him as saying before the match.
"But I can promise you that I will do my best, using my previous experience to my advantage."
(Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty; editing by Sudipto Ganguly)
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