KB News Desk
The National Assembly’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee will convene a hearing concerning the Korea Football Association on July 30, summoning key individuals who oversaw the association in the run-up to the 2026 World Cup.
The hearing is to revolve around the Korea Football Association’s lack of transparency in its appointment of Hong Myung-bo as head coach of the men’s national soccer team, which was eliminated from the group stage competition at the World Cup.
Plans to summon 15 witnesses — including former head coach Hong and former KFA chief Chung Mong-gyu, as well as eight reference witnesses, among them Park Ji-sung, a former soccer player who serves as co-chief of the state committee dedicated to KFA reform — were also approved Tuesday.
Rep. Lee Jae-jung, chair of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, expressed anticipation that the committee would become full-fledged by the time the hearing is held next week.
“Fortunately, there now seems to be a breakthrough in the negotiation (between political parties) over committee assignment,” said Lee of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea.
The hearing was initially scheduled for Wednesday, but the parliamentary committee sought to delay the hearing amid the main opposition People Power Party’s boycott to protest the Democratic Party’s decision to elect its lawmaker as the Legislation and Judiciary Committee.
However, People Power Party lawmakers agreed in a general assembly on Tuesday to end their boycott after a bipartisan agreement was reached over how to form a special counsel into the ballot shortage scandal that marred June’s local elections.
The KFA has been under fire for its indirect voting mechanism that allowed Chung to serve multiple terms as chair for more than a decade, which may have contributed to the KFA’s alleged decision to skirt due process to appoint the head coach for the national soccer team. Hong, whose appointment as head coach was largely unpopular with sports fans, stepped down after the team’s elimination in June.
