Seo Gang-il, president of the Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province Football Association, is facing backlash following a KBS interview, which has led to a flood of protest posts on the association's website.
On July 17, a video of Seo's interview and screenshots of the Jeonbuk Football Association's free board were shared widely on an online community.
The screenshots show numerous critical comments, including "Don't embarrass the local community, just leave," "What do you know about football? How did you become president?" and "Seo Gang-il, resign now!"
One user wrote a lengthy post titled "I urge Seo Gang-il to apologize and resign for his outrageous remarks," expressing deep anger and disappointment after watching the interview. The user criticized Seo's comments as a direct insult to the hopes of many fans and football professionals who wish for the advancement of Korean football.
The post continued, "To belittle figures like Park Ji-sung and Lee Young-pyo, who have elevated Korea's football status globally and experienced advanced football, by saying 'they are too young to understand life' and 'they lack social experience' is a serious offense. This attitude, dismissing efforts to reform the outdated administration of Korean football as childish behavior, proves what the biggest obstacles to the development of Korean football are."
The author also called for Seo to retract his defense of former president Chung Mong-kyu's "13 years of sacrifice," stating that romanticizing the association's unilateral and incompetent administration amid public outrage is an absurd perspective.
Regarding the controversy over the pardon of those involved in match-fixing, the author criticized Seo's statement that "forgiveness is needed" as shocking, asserting it undermines the integrity of sports, where fairness and justice are paramount.
The post concluded with a call for an official apology and immediate resignation, stating, "Seo Gang-il's remarks are a disgrace that lowers the standards of not only the Jeonbuk Football Association but also Korean football as a whole."
In the interview on July 16, Seo questioned the qualifications of Park Ji-sung and Lee Young-pyo, who are part of the Korea Football Association's innovation committee, saying, "What do Park Ji-sung and Lee Young-pyo know to be on the innovation committee? What do they know to speak so freely?"
He added, "They may have been national team players, but how much life have they lived, how much do they know about the law, and how much social experience do they have to lead the innovation committee? Instead of just criticizing, they should run for president themselves."
Seo also commented on the election process for the Korea Football Association president, stating, "According to the current bylaws, a by-election must be held within 60 days. Why are we trying to change the bylaws to a direct election?" He emphasized that without a president, the association's administration would be paralyzed, especially with the Asian Games and A-matches approaching.
Regarding Chung Mong-kyu, Seo remarked, "Everyone makes mistakes in life except for God. I don't think Chung Mong-kyu deserves this level of criticism. While people call it a '13-year reign,' I see it as a '13-year sacrifice.'"
On the match-fixing pardon controversy, he stated, "The intention was to suggest that sometimes we should forgive and understand mistakes, but the timing was not right, and it seems we rushed it a bit."
In response to the controversy over using business class during the 2022 Qatar World Cup, he explained, "I said I couldn't fly economy due to knee issues, and the association suggested upgrading to business class, which I paid for out of my own pocket."
When asked about the possibility of running for the Korea Football Association presidency in the future, he said, "I will not comment on that, but if someone without a willingness to reform appears, I might consider it."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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