Culture Ministry calls for severe disciplinary action against KFA chair

South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism announced its final results of its Korea Football Association (KFA) audit on Tuesday, urging the KFA to impose a severe disciplinary measure, suspension or higher, on KFA Chairman Chung Mong-gyu. The ministry also directed the KFA to rectify procedural flaws related to the appointment of National Team Coach Hong Myeong-bo.

“It was confirmed that Chairman Chung improperly handled the selection process for the national team coach and mismanaged the association, leading us to recommend a suspension or more severe penalty,” the ministry stated. The ministry’s audit, which began in July, examined KFA operations and subsidy management and identified 27 instances of legal or procedural violations. Accordingly, disciplinary actions were recommended for 16 KFA officials, including Chairman Chung.

The KFA’s Fairness Committee will review the ministry’s disciplinary recommendation for Chung. Under the committee’s regulations, penalties could range from suspension to dismissal or expulsion, which align with the ministry's recommendation. A ministry official added, “If the KFA does not comply with the recommendation for a severe penalty, we may conduct a follow-up compliance audit. Should they issue a light penalty, such as a fine, we will take every available administrative measure.”

Concerning Coach Hong’s appointment, which fueled concerns about fairness, the ministry notified the KFA to correct procedural issues by re-nominating candidates through the KFA’s Team Reinforcement Committee and confirming the selection through the board. The ministry found that Technical Director Lee Im-saeng, who lacks authority over coach appointments, allegedly interviewed Hong based on the chairman’s directive, which was seen as a procedural violation. “It’s up to the KFA to decide whether to maintain Hong’s contract,” a ministry official said. “Reconvening the reinforcement committee and including Hong among the candidates for a fair appointment process could be another option.”


Yun-Cheol Jeong trigger@donga.com