Culture Ministry to probe KFA appointment of Hong Myung-bo

Korean national team manager Hong Myung-bo speaks during a press conference at Incheon International Airport in Incheon on Monday. [YONHAP]

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will investigate the Korea Football Association over the controversial appointment of new Korean national team manager Hong Myung-bo, a ministry official said Monday.

The JoongAng Ilbo, an affiliate of the Korea JoongAng Daily, reported Monday that an unnamed official at the Culture Ministry told the newspaper that the ministry will look into whether the association functions appropriately and followed proper procedures in the appointment of Hong.

Any issues discovered during the review will be dealt with by the ministry, the official said.

Culture Minister Yu In-chon reportedly ordered the probe after Korean football fans and ex-players denounced the KFA’s appointment of Hong.

The Culture Ministry’s call comes after the KFA announced that then-Ulsan HD manager Hong would take over as national team boss on July 7, filling a post that had been vacant for five months after the KFA sacked Jurgen Klinsmann in February.

The appointment was immediately controversial, not only because Hong had previously indicated his intention to reject the offer or because he would have to leave Ulsan in the middle of the 2024 season, but also because KFA Technical Director Lee Lim-saeng appeared to have bypassed the selection committee and unilaterally made the appointment on his own.

Park Joo-ho, who was a selection committee member, revealed in a YouTube video last week that he was not aware of Hong’s appointment before the KFA publicly announced it, indicating that he was not involved in the appointment process.

Lee said during a press conference on July 8 that KFA Chairman Chung Mong-gyu had ordered him to take charge of the appointment process after former selection committee head Chung Hae-sung resigned a few days earlier.

Korean civic group People's Welfare Countermeasure Committee filed a criminal complaint Monday accusing Chung Mong-gyu of breach of duty and interfering with the proper operation of the association.

The civic group said that appointing Hong without the agreement of the selection committee interferes with the proper operation of the association, and offering him a job without first agreeing a salary is a breach of duty.

BY HAN JEE-HYE, PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]