'Behind the Korean Football Association's reported subsidy of 158 million won lies a cleverly concealed public fund of 13.5 billion won.'
Following the South Korean national football team's failure to advance to the Round of 32 in the 2026 North and Central America World Cup, the appropriateness of public funding for the Korean Football Association (KFA) has come under scrutiny. Although the scale of government support has nearly halved after a specific audit by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, over 13 billion won in public funds is still allocated to the association this year through the National Sports Promotion Fund and other sources. There are growing calls for increased transparency in disclosures so that citizens can easily verify the scale and execution of this funding.
According to the KFA's budget proposal for 2026 released on July 2, the association's total revenue is projected at 131.65 billion won. Of this, approximately 8.25 billion won comes from government sources, including 8.15 billion won from the National Sports Promotion Fund and about 30 million won in national subsidies. When including 5.36 billion won from the Sports Toto revenue distribution, the total government and public funding for the KFA amounts to 13.54 billion won, representing 10.3% of the total revenue.
The issue is that the KFA's disclosures make it difficult for the public to grasp the actual scale of government support at a glance. The KFA reported last year's national subsidy as 15.8 million won, but the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's support from the National Sports Promotion Fund (8.1 billion won) and lottery fund (6.2 billion won) are categorized separately. While these funds differ in nature, they are all managed and supported by the government. However, the separate disclosures lead to perceptions that the actual government support is smaller than it is, making it hard for the public to understand the KFA's reliance on government funding.
A Ministry official stated, "It is necessary to verify the criteria the KFA uses to distinguish between the National Sports Promotion Fund and lottery revenue in their disclosures." The official added, "It seems they are trying to differentiate budgets received from local governments or other ministries, but there is inconsistency in how they label it as 'national subsidy' in some years and 'subsidy' in others."
Additionally, the Ministry is preparing a special audit related to the KFA's exit from the group stage in the North and Central America World Cup. The audit office is currently reviewing the scope and plan for the audit, with a specific start date yet to be determined. A Ministry official noted, "We will announce the details once they are finalized." The news agency attempted to contact the KFA multiple times for clarification but was unable to reach them.
Previously, following controversies over the unfair selection of former coach Jürgen Klinsmann and coach Hong Myung-bo, the Ministry conducted an audit that confirmed the legality of its authority and procedures in a first-instance ruling regarding the KFA's lawsuit against the audit. Therefore, the Ministry believes there will be no legal issues in proceeding with this special audit.
President Lee Jae-myung also characterized the team's exit from the World Cup group stage as a "failure of organization and personnel" and called for reforms within the KFA. He emphasized that significant public funds and national support are invested in World Cup participation and directed the KFA to conduct a thorough analysis of the causes and implement measures to prevent recurrence. Furthermore, he urged a shift from an indirect election system to a direct election system for the association's president, enhancing transparency and accountability in the KFA's operations.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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