Chung Mong-kyu, the former president of the Korea Football Association (KFA), is under scrutiny after it was revealed that an executive from HDC Group, which he led, received over 1 billion won while working in a key administrative role at the KFA for 11 years. This has reignited concerns over the privatization of the KFA, especially as follow-up actions from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the KFA have been delayed for more than a year.
Jeong Yeon-wook, a lawmaker from the People Power Party, announced plans to intensively question this issue during a KFA hearing scheduled for July 30. Originally set for July 22, the hearing was postponed, and both Chung and former national team coach Hong Myung-bo have been called as witnesses.
According to the Ministry's audit, an HDC executive, identified as A, was dispatched to the KFA's administrative support team from March 2013 to November 2024 without any basis in personnel regulations. This period far exceeded the maximum allowable dispatch duration of two years. A oversaw key operational tasks, including personnel, general affairs, accounting, and contracts, and received over 1 billion won in consulting fees and allowances. It was also confirmed that A failed to report personal conflicts of interest during the process of increasing his consulting fees.
The Ministry assessed that A posed a high risk of providing HDC with advance information regarding KFA projects. Evidence from the audit indicated that numerous documents exchanged between foreign architects and the KFA during the construction of the Cheonan Football Center were shared with HDC.
In response, Chung denied the allegations during the 2024 National Assembly audit, stating, "While Hyundai Development Company has assisted the KFA, it has never profited from it. We were asked to help because we have a lot of expertise."
However, A, who is subject to disciplinary action, retired in November 2024, just before the Ministry's audit began, making it impossible for the KFA to impose its own disciplinary measures.
Follow-up actions from the Ministry have also been stalled for over a year. In February 2025, the Ministry referred A's case to the police for investigation, but as of now, the police inquiry is still ongoing. Additionally, efforts to amend regulations to prevent improper dispatch of employees from the parent company have been halted due to a lack of preparation under the acting leadership of KFA Vice President Lee Yong-soo.
Moreover, there has been no progress on disciplinary actions against key executives related to 27 violations uncovered during a specific audit in 2024, including illegal activities in the appointment process of Jurgen Klinsmann and Hong. Despite winning in the first instance of a lawsuit against the KFA, the enforcement of disciplinary measures was suspended following a ruling in the appellate court on June 12.
Jeong criticized the Ministry, stating, "Despite confirming the KFA's illegal activities, the Ministry has neglected its responsibilities as a supervisory body by failing to ensure even the minimum follow-up actions, such as referring the case for investigation and amending regulations."
He added, "The issue is not whether there was a profit, but that the operations and information of a public organization funded by taxpayer money were completely open to a specific company. The fact that over a year has passed without any follow-up actions indicates that the KFA lacks the will to rectify the situation or a reform system."
Jeong emphasized, "The fact that over 1 billion won was paid over 11 years while receiving a dispatched employee from the parent company is evidence that the association has been operated like a personal company of the president. The Ministry must not only announce the audit results but also ensure that follow-up actions are implemented and establish effective management and oversight measures."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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