The beleaguered Korea Football Association (KFA) will eventually stand in the National Assembly.
KFA Chairman Chung Mong-kyu, Korean national soccer team coach Hong Myung-bo and technical director Lee Im-saeng will appear as witnesses at the pending questioning session of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee to be held at the National Assembly at 10 a.m. on Tuesday. Chung Hae-sung, former chairman of the committee, Park Joo-ho, former committee member, and Kim Dae-up, head of the KFA’s technology division, will also appear as witnesses.
Various suspicions and controversies surrounding the KFA will be dealt with at the National Assembly on this day. The controversies that arose in the process of appointing Hong Myung-bo in July are representative. This is because there was a lot of controversy over procedural legitimacy and others in the process of Hong’s appointment as the head coach of the national team. Unlike other foreign coach candidates, the entire process of Hong’s appointment is expected to be under fire on the day, including taking the helm without an interview process.
The plan will also include the opening of minus bank accounts worth 60 billion won (653 million U.S. dollars), which the KFA established without the approval of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and the issue of Chairman Chung Mong-gyu’s fourth consecutive term. At the last month’s meeting of the committee, the controversy over the sudden amnesty of match-fixing offenders and the process of appointing former German coach Jurgen Klinsmann was also discussed, which could include related matters on the day.
In particular, members of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee (Culture Committee) seem to be determined as the KFA is responding uncooperatively to the request for submitting materials on pending issues. “The KFA’s systematic cover-up has begun. We are not responding to requests for materials on pending issues while enjoying vacation under the pretext of our foundation anniversary,” Rep. Jin Jong-oh of the People’s Power said on social media, signaling a strong response. 먹튀검증
In addition, according to Kim Seung-soo, a lawmaker of People’s Power, the KFA effectively rejected more than half of the 129 common documents requested by the members of the committee. In a meeting last month, the KFA refused to submit a request for data on corporate credit card, which was used on the day Lee Im-saeng met with director Hong Myung-bo, citing “information from the video.”
Standing at the center of all controversies, Chairman Chung Mong-gyu is set to attend the National Assembly at a time when he is cornered. Not only the criticism from the strong public, but also the KFA labor union has recently issued a statement opposing the re-election to a fourth term. Attention is also focusing on how Chung will explain various controversies and announce his plans for a fourth term on the day. Faced with strong public criticism, the situation is no different for Hong Myung-bo.
With public opinion already raging against KFA, especially Chairman Chung Mong-kyu and head coach Hong Myung-bo, if another controversy arises on the day, it is expected to cause a strong aftermath. However, some are concerned that if the level of unprofessional or clumsy questions is limited to the level of unprofessional or clumsy questions, as in the case of the national audit of the national baseball team coach Sun Dong-yeol in 2018, various suspicions and controversies may not be resolved neatly.
