Chung Mong-gyu, president of the KFA (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Jul. 16 (Korea Bizwire) – The appointment of South Korea’s new national soccer team coach has sparked controversy, leading to a formal complaint against the head of the Korea Football Association (KFA).
On July 15, a civic group called the Committee for Citizens’ Livelihood Measures filed a police report against Chung Mong-gyu, president of the KFA, accusing him of obstruction of business, breach of trust, and intimidation.
The group alleges that Chung pushed through the appointment of Hong Myung-bo as the new national team coach via a written board resolution, despite significant opposition. “This constitutes an obstruction of business through the abuse of authority,” the complaint states. It further claims that deciding Hong’s salary without proper consultation amounts to breach of trust.
The controversy deepened when Park Joo-ho, a former national team player and member of the KFA’s National Team Committee, publicly criticized the selection process. The KFA’s subsequent hint at legal action against Park was characterized by the civic group as “intimidation not just against Park, but against the public.”
“We are shocked by the audacity of unilaterally appointing a coach without even the knowledge of the committee members,” the group added in their statement.
The KFA announced on July 7 that Hong Myung-bo had been selected as the new coach for the national team, ahead of the 2026 World Cup to be held in North America.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
