Lee Im-saeng to skip national audit after missing hearing — 'the height of cowardice'

Lee Im-saeng, the former Korea Football Association technical director at the center of controversy over the hiring process for national team head coach Hong Myung-bo, has said he will not appear before a National Assembly national audit — just as he skipped an earlier parliamentary hearing.

According to the office of Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Jo Gye-won of the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, Lee recently submitted a notice of absence to the Assembly stating he would be unable to attend the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee national audit scheduled for Wednesday.

Lee, who currently serves as technical director of Nagaworld FC in Cambodia's Premier League, cited his team's training schedule and limited flight options. "Given the training schedule of the Cambodian team I am currently in charge of, it is impossible to be away for three to four days when flight time is factored in," he said in his notice.

Earlier, the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee voted at a plenary session last Wednesday to summon 13 witnesses for the national audit, including Lee and Korea Football Association acting President Lee Yong-su. Both were formally designated as witnesses for Wednesday's audit, at which the committee had planned to question them about problems in the KFA's management and the process by which the national team head coach was selected.

The committee had intended to use the audit to press Lee on aspects of Hong's appointment that went unresolved at the earlier hearing. His renewed refusal to appear, however, has drawn fresh criticism that he is again evading accountability.

"He is dodging this national audit with the flimsy excuse of a Cambodian team training schedule, just as he did at the last hearing," lawmaker Jo said. "This is nothing more than taking a job abroad to flee responsibility — the height of cowardice."

Jo added that the national audit is "a solemn occasion, endowed by the Constitution with weighty authority, for holding state institutions and the sports community accountable on behalf of the public," and that key figures who have drawn public outrage choosing to skip it without legitimate cause "amounts to contempt for the National Assembly."

He also called the absences "an irresponsible attitude focused on concealing wrongdoing and unresolved issues in the sports community," and said the committee should move as quickly as possible to file a formal complaint against the witnesses, noting that a complaint over Lee's absence from the earlier hearing was already in the works.

Meanwhile, Korea Professional Football League President Kwon Oh-gap also submitted a notice of absence citing health reasons.

Jo said the committee had planned to question Kwon over the league's oversight responsibilities regarding allegations of overseas trips taken for leisure at public expense and embezzlement allegations involving Gimpo FC.