'I don't understand why he's vice president' — Kim Byung-ji responds

Kim Byung-ji, a former South Korean national team goalkeeper and vice president of the Korea Football Association, posted a lengthy statement Monday defending himself against public criticism that followed the national team's elimination from the round of 32 at the 2026 North America World Cup.

Kim shared a screenshot of a post titled "I simply cannot understand why this person is vice president" on his social media account Monday, saying he is "coordinating communication and serving as a link for policy balance between the Korea Football Association, the Korea Professional Football League and individual clubs."

"From last year through this year, I have been representing the heads of K League 1 and K League 2 clubs," he said. "I want to say that those who are serving or have served in the vice president role, as well as myself, are all doing our best from our respective positions."

Kim also addressed the reasons behind his appointment. He said he had been recognized for building a healthy club ecosystem during his tenure as CEO of Gangwon FC — one that encompassed not only on-field results but also the growth of all club members, stronger administrative capacity, marketing achievements, player development, overseas expansion, producing national team players, and establishing the professionalism of coaches and support staff.

Kim also served as vice president in 2021 and 2022. In an earlier post, he recalled that period, writing, "I look back on a time when I fell short but gave my best to the role," adding that his assigned portfolio at the time was the expansion of grassroots football.

"It was a period when I did not stay confined to elite football — I personally traveled across the country to discover and develop amateur leagues such as K4, K5 and K6, helping lay the groundwork for Korea's football division system," he wrote. "With a field-centered perspective that reached down to the lowest levels of the league, I traveled nationwide visiting youth, elementary, middle school, high school, university and amateur teams, and met many people working hard at the amateur level."

He also claimed credit for broadening the country's football talent pipeline, saying he had spotted Park Cheong-hyo — then playing in the K4 League and now active in K League 1 — and helped him move up to a higher division.

Kim also highlighted his contributions to establishing a football complex and promoting women's football. "I was not simply a figurehead vice president," he said. "Together with then-Vice President Lee Young-pyo, I worked on the ground — meeting officials at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of Economy and Finance, and ruling and opposition party lawmakers — to secure national and local government funding for the construction of the Cheonan Football Center, a project designed to shape Korean football for the next century."

He added that he had collaborated with the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education to introduce a program called "Gongchasoseo" for students, and that he had taken part in planning the TV program "Golddaenyeo," which helped launch the expansion of women's football. "I feel a sense of pride believing that the current foundation of grassroots football and women's football began back then, during my time as vice president in 2021," he said.