Following reports of sexual service allegations against the Korea Football Association (KFA), online discussions have surfaced regarding past corruption within the organization.
On August 6, JTBC reported that the KFA provided sexual services to foreign referees multiple times before national team matches in 2011.
According to the report, the KFA used corporate cards to pay for services at massage parlors in Seoul and Ulsan. A KFA official stated, "This was a common practice at the time," adding, "While there may have been inappropriate incidents 15 years ago, we now have strict internal management guidelines in place."
In the wake of the report, a document from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism that the reporter held during the broadcast gained attention online on August 7.
One user shared the expanded findings of the ministry's investigation, commenting, "The sexual services overshadow everything, but each issue is newsworthy in its own right." The ministry's report revealed various misconduct allegations regarding the KFA's operations.
The report detailed that the former president of the KFA had taken his spouse on three overseas trips funded by the association, with travel and accommodation costs amounting to approximately 30.12 million won. It also noted that a part-time executive received a monthly salary of 5 million won, along with a corporate card with a limit of 2 million won, a company vehicle, and a dedicated driver.
Additionally, 18 current and former employees were found to have used corporate cards for a total of 1,501 transactions at golf courses, entertainment venues, and massage parlors, amounting to about 216 million won, most of which were for personal use.
The report also included shocking details of eight instances of inappropriate sexual services provided to foreign referees and officials from the Chinese Football Association between March 2011 and March 2012 during national and Olympic team matches.
Other misconduct cases mentioned included improper receipt of family allowances, special hiring of employees, issues in the personnel regulation amendment process, and losses in wrongful termination lawsuits.
In response, some football fans have begun cross-referencing the ministry's audit materials with match records to identify foreign referees who may have received sexual services.
Users have pointed to Ryuji Sato, a Japanese referee who officiated the Korea-Honduras A match and the U-22 Korea-China match in March 2011, citing documents from the Japan Football Association that confirm Sato and other referees were dispatched to Seoul and Ulsan from March 23 to 28, 2011.
Online reactions included comments such as, "18 current and former employees used corporate cards for 1,501 transactions at golf courses, entertainment venues, and massage parlors? This is outrageous," and, "With issues like improper allowances, sexual services, and hiring corruption, this is a complete mess. I wonder how far this goes into the political realm." Others remarked, "This is not just a KFA issue; it’s a corruption supermarket."
The situation has prompted a reevaluation of Chung Mong-kyu, the former KFA president, with some users stating, "When he took office in 2013, he replaced people who knew nothing about football and at least cleaned up some corruption issues," and, "He did implement a clean card system to prevent misuse of corporate cards, which is true." Others noted, "Most of the issues being revealed occurred before Chung's tenure, and he was the one who initially rejected Hong Myung-bo's appointment before eventually approving it."
While he may not be missed, many agree that the current situation is better than the era of sexual services.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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