Park Ji-sung calls for 'at least thousands' in KFA presidential election body

Efforts to expand the electoral college that selects the Korea Football Association president have moved into full swing, with the aim of ensuring that the broader football community's voice is adequately reflected in the vote.

The innovation committee held its third meeting Monday at the main conference room of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Seoul, chaired by K-Football Innovation Committee co-chair Park Ji-sung.

According to Park, the closed-door session — attended by all committee members, including Korean Sport & Olympic Committee President Yoo Seung-min — reached a consensus that the KSOC should promptly revise its member-federation regulations, which currently cap the indirect electoral college at fewer than 300 people.

The KFA presented a draft proposal for restructuring its electoral college in line with the KSOC's planned amendments, and the committee discussed it.

Earlier, the KSOC held an extraordinary general assembly Thursday and unanimously passed amendments to its charter governing electoral college rules — the foundational framework for presidential elections at member federations including the KFA. The key change expands the electoral college from 2,200 to 92,000 members, a more than 40-fold increase.

A separate amendment to extend the 60-day deadline for electing a new president when the position falls vacant cleared the KSOC's Sports Fair Play Committee on Monday and is set to be taken up at the board of directors meeting Tuesday and Wednesday.

"We agreed to discuss supplementary proposals at the next meeting," Park said. "The most important criteria in our discussions will be fairness and representation that can earn public trust, as well as feasibility."

Asked Monday how large the KFA presidential electoral college might grow, Park said it would be "at least several thousand," while adding: "The KSOC's plan is the product of a long period of review, but the KFA is only just at the starting point. It is difficult to say right now exactly how much it will grow."

On signs of resistance from some regional football association heads to the electoral system overhaul, Park said pushback was "entirely foreseeable," but was unequivocal that it would not derail the process. "There is no way the reform plan will go back to square one because of that," he said.

Korean football currently has vacancies at both the top of the KFA and in the national team head coaching position. The next executive leadership must be in place for preparations to begin in earnest for the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in September and the 2027 Asian Cup, which opens in January.

"Rather than rushing through the process unprepared, what matters most is electing a president in an environment that many people can accept — which is why we have not set a hard deadline," Park said. "We will work as quickly as possible to reach an agreement and come up with a good plan."