Chairman Chung Mong-kyu, the head of the Korea Football Association, will appear at the National Assembly again. Following the questioning of the pending issues, attention is focusing on what he will say as a witness for the parliamentary audit.
Recently, the Korea Football Association has been under severe pressure, and Chairman Chung is at the center.
Closely, there were suspicions of pinning in the process of appointing Hong Myung-bo in July this year, and far away, the controversy erupted over the amnesty of match-fixing soccer players in March last year.
During the home game against Palestine in Group B of the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA World Cup between North Korea and China on the 5th of last month, there was a flurry of boos against Chairman Chung and head coach Hong.
Even while captain Son Heung-min (Tottenham), Lee Kang-in (PSG), Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton), and Kim Min-jae (Munich) were on the ground, the booing did not stop, and the players asked for restraint.
In the end, Chairman Chung was audited by the National Assembly and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
He is scheduled to appear as a witness at a comprehensive audit of the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee on the 24th.
The sports audit scheduled for the 22nd reportedly submitted a statement of reasons for not attending.
An official from the Korea Football Association said through Newsis on the 18th that Chairman Chung will attend only 24 days due to the schedule of the U-17 Women's World Cup in the Dominican Republic 2024.
This is the second witness appearance by Chairman Chung following a question on pending issues at the National Assembly's stylistic committee last month.
At the time, Chairman Chung said, "I have never picked a national team coach against the recommendation of the power reinforcement committee or the previous technical committee," adding, "There is no problem with the procedure."
The National Assembly's stylistic committee criticized the soccer association's explanation, saying it was not convincing.
Yang Moon-seok, a lawmaker of the Democratic Party of Korea, pointed out, "The 11th meeting (of the committee) is illegal, the part entrusted by the technical director Lee Im-saeng is illegal, and Hong, who did not submit documents and conduct prior interviews on the basis of the illegality, was appointed as the director."
Bae Hyun-jin, a member of the People's Power, criticized soccer association officials, saying, "The process of appointing Hong is very far-fetched and there is a problem with the procedural legitimacy," adding, "There are rumors that there may be cartels based on school ties at a specific school."
Chairman Chung is also under pressure over the possibility of seeking a fourth term in office.
When asked if the Sports Fair Commission would allow Chairman Chung to serve four consecutive terms during a parliamentary audit on the 7th, Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Yoo In-chon said, "I will issue a correction order. If that doesn't work, I will not allow the approval."
The Korea Football Association's union is also actively opposed to the head's second term.
In a statement on the 17th, the Korea Football Association's union urged Vice Chairman Kim Jung-bae to resign and voiced criticism toward Chairman Chung, who placed him as the working-level general manager. 먹튀검증
The union pointed out, "Chairman Chung's declaration of not running is the first step in normalizing Korean soccer," adding, "Even at the time of appointment, Chairman Chung made the wrong decision, but controversy arose as he reorganized the organization in a way that did not appoint a vice president of soccer."
"Chairman Chung, who has invited such a person (vice-chairman Kim), should not run for the fourth term. Although the statement calls for Vice Chairman Kim's resignation, Chung's failure to appoint such a person as vice-chairman cannot be seen as a lightweight. It is all on his own and a proof of his leadership's collapse," he said, urging Chairman Chung to declare that he will not run for the election.
Attention is focusing on whether Chairman Chung, whose position is greatly shaken, will be able to resolve suspicions related to himself and the Korea Football Association during the parliamentary audit.