Chimchakman Apologizes for Aftermath Related to Hong Myung-bo
"Will Be More Careful with Expressions... Apology"
YouTuber Chimchakman, who has 2.53 million subscribers, issued a public apology after causing controversy with remarks related to the appointment of Hong Myung-bo as the head coach of the national soccer team.
On the 15th, Chimchakman said on his YouTube channel, "I apologize for making you uncomfortable with my careless remarks." He explained, "While trying to 'explore hot issues' (across various fields), I talked about the recent Korea Football Association situation. It’s a field I’m not very familiar with, so it seems I caused a lot of division."
He continued, "I did not intend to upset anyone," adding, "The appointment of Coach Hong Myung-bo is an issue, but there is a history of accumulated problems. My tone and expressions disregarded the related procedures and made football fans seem like mindless supporters, which was disrespectful. I acknowledge that and want to apologize."
He also said, "I realized I need to speak with more respect about fields I don’t know well," and added, "Since I clearly made a mistake toward football fans and others, I apologize and will be more careful with my expressions."
Earlier that day during a live broadcast, Chimchakman said regarding Hong Myung-bo’s appointment, "To be blunt, isn’t it just because people don’t like him since Hong Myung-bo isn’t good enough?" He added, "I don’t think the procedure is important. If the Football Association had brought Pep Guardiola, the manager of EPL’s Manchester City, without any discussion, there wouldn’t have been complaints." Although these remarks were made during real-time interaction with viewers, they spread online and led to criticism of Chimchakman. Netizens responded with comments such as "If you don’t know much about the issue, just stay quiet," "Reckless," and "Seems like he didn’t grasp the essence of the situation."
Meanwhile, the Korea Football Association announced on the 7th that Hong Myung-bo was appointed as the head coach of the national soccer team ahead of the 2026 North and Central America World Cup. However, controversy arose over the legitimacy of his appointment process. Former national team players including Park Joo-ho, who served on the Football Association’s Strengthening Committee, as well as Lee Young-pyo, Lee Chun-soo, Park Ji-sung, Lee Dong-gook, and Cho Won-hee, raised concerns about the Football Association’s coaching appointment procedures.
The civic group Seomin Minsaeng Countermeasure Committee (Seominwi) filed a complaint with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency against Korea Football Association Chairman Chung Mong-gyu on charges of obstruction of business, breach of trust in the course of duty, and intimidation. In the complaint, Seominwi claimed, "Despite numerous opposing opinions, appointing Coach Hong Myung-bo through a written resolution of the board of directors constitutes obstruction of business by intimidation," and "Deciding Coach Hong Myung-bo’s salary without proper consultation constitutes breach of trust in the course of duty."
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