The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency searched the Korea Football Association's headquarters in Cheonan and the KFA House in central Seoul under a warrant on suspicion of obstruction of business through deceptive means.
Investigators seized records from the association's National Team Committee, national team division and World Cup support unit, along with forensic data from mobile phones and computers used by officials involved in the coaching selection.
Police are investigating whether then-KFA President Chung Mong-gyu and then-technical director Lee Lim-saeng bypassed the association's rules and improperly influenced decisions reserved for the National Team Committee and the board.
Former national team coach Hong Myung-bo was questioned as a suspect on Aug. 4 over how he became a candidate and whether he held prior discussions with senior KFA officials before the formal selection process. Police have consolidated nine complaints alleging offences including obstruction of business, coercion and breach of trust.
The institution came under scrutiny and public outcry after South Korea failed to advance beyond the group stage of the 2026 World Cup, losing 1-0 to both Mexico and South Africa after opening with a 2-1 victory over the Czech Republic.
Hong resigned on June 29 as criticism intensified over both the team's performance and the process that brought him to the job.
The probe tracks down the five-month search launched after Jurgen Klinsmann was dismissed in February 2024.
National Team Committee Chairman Chung Hae-sung resigned shortly before a final decision was made, leaving Lee to oversee the remainder of the search.
A subsequent Sports Ministry audit found that Lee was neither a member nor the formally appointed chairman of the committee and had not been delegated authority to recommend a candidate. Nevertheless, he interviewed and ranked the three finalists before selecting Hong.
According to the ministry, Lee conducted formal interviews in Europe with two foreign finalists, widely reported to have been Gus Poyet and David Wagner, but met Hong privately at about 11 p.m. on July 5, 2024, at a bakery near Hong's home without an observer, prepared questions or a separate tactical presentation.
The ministry also found that Hong had been tied with a foreign candidate in committee recommendations, contrary to the KFA's public portrayal of him as the clear first choice. It further concluded that announcing Hong's appointment before obtaining written board approval effectively reduced the board's role to a formality.
In November 2024, the Sports Ministry concluded that the appointment process contained serious procedural defects and sought disciplinary action against Chung, Lee and another senior KFA official, while stopping short of declaring Hong's contract invalid.
The Seoul Administrative Court reinforced that finding in April, rejecting the KFA's attempt to overturn the ministry's disciplinary measures and ruling that the association had acted improperly in handling the coaching appointment and other governance matters. The KFA has appealed.
Hong has denied receiving preferential treatment, telling a parliamentary hearing on July 30 that he believed the appointment process complied with the rules when he accepted the position.
The KFA has likewise argued that its regulations did not prescribe a single interview format and that Lee was authorized to complete the search after the committee chairman resigned.
The ministry's audit and the court ruling, however, do not by themselves establish criminal liability.
Investigators must still prove that KFA officials intentionally used deception or improper influence to interfere with the National Team Committee's or the board's legitimate decision-making authority.
The KFA said it would cooperate fully with the investigation, which remains at the evidence-gathering stage.
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