The Korea Football Association faced a National Assembly hearing Thursday battered by allegations of a university-based cartel, a hastily arranged coaching appointment at a bakery, questionable corporate card use by association officials and coaches, and opaque administrative practices across multiple projects. Ruling and opposition lawmakers convened the hearing under the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee and delivered sharp rebukes over what they described as a pattern of mismanagement at the association.
Committee members pressed witnesses on the circumstances surrounding the appointment of former head coach Hong Myung-bo and raised questions about the murky handling of the Cheonan football center construction project. Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Lim O-gyeong asked former KFA President Chung Mong-gyu whether he had heard the terms "Hyundai Football Association" and "Korea University cartel," saying, "Why do people say that unless you went to Korea University, you can't set foot in the association — not as president, not as coach?"
Chung pushed back, saying that of the 25 men's national team coaches he had appointed, only one was a Korea University graduate, and none of the more than 20 women's national team coaches came from the school. He added, however, that he was "sorry that such an image has taken hold."
Democratic Party lawmaker Noh Jong-myeon pressed Chung on problems surrounding the construction of a mini stadium at the Korea Football Park in Cheonan. Noh said the association had submitted blueprints for the project — which received 7.7 billion won ($5.31 million) in government subsidies — that showed no office space for executives or the president, explaining that public funds cannot be used to build offices for a specific sports organization. He then said the building permit had been granted on the basis of plans that included a president's office, an executive director's office, executive suites and a secretariat, and criticized the association for submitting plans that differed in both layout and designated use from those used to obtain the permit.
People Power Party lawmaker Jeong Yeon-wook raised concerns about Chung retaining positions at FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) after stepping down as KFA president — specifically as vice chair of FIFA's commercial and marketing advisory board and as an AFC executive committee member and vice chair of the member associations standing committee. Jeong said it needed to be clearly established "whether Chung's continued presence on the international stage is an asset for Korean football diplomacy or an unfinished exit." Chung said he had "no intention of clinging to positions" now that he had resigned as association president, and that he would defer to whatever decision the new president and executive body made once they were in place.
People Power Party lawmaker Bae Hyun-jin renewed her criticism of the process by which Hong was appointed. She said that in 2024, former KFA technical director Lee Im-saeng — who at the time had no authority to recommend a coaching candidate — met Hong at a bakery at 11 p.m. in what amounted to an interview, after which Hong was appointed without any formal interview or presentation. "It sparked accusations of preferential treatment that ignored convention and procedure," she said. She then asked Hong whether he felt any shame before younger players and football officials that a coach could be hired through a "bakery interview." Hong said he had believed the process was normal when the offer came to him, and acknowledged that the public "may find it lacking in transparency," but said he had "never sought any special treatment or personal gain."
The association's decision to pursue litigation after the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's 2024 audit — which called for heavy disciplinary action, including suspension, against Chung and others — also drew fire at the hearing. People Power Party lawmaker Yun Yong-geun asked why the association continued to appeal the ministry's special audit even while acknowledging operational failures, and urged it to withdraw the lawsuit through a board resolution immediately.
The hearing drew criticism in some quarters as falling short, partly because several key witnesses failed to appear — among them Lee Im-saeng, the former KFA technical director at the center of the controversy over Hong's appointment, who now serves as technical director at Cambodia's Nagaworld FC, and former KFA vice president Park Hang-seo, currently head coach of second-division Thai club Kanchanaburi Power FC. Some observers also noted that questioning over player selection during World Cup matches strayed from the stated purpose of examining the overall state of KFA governance.
Apparently mindful of those risks, Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Jae-jeong, chair of the culture committee, urged members before the hearing began to "lead productive discussions that go beyond minor criticisms and point-scoring, and instead identify what is needed to improve systems and institutions — so that this hearing can serve as the starting point for a bigger picture."
kty@heraldcorp.com
