Appearance as a Witness for Current Issues Inquiry at the National Assembly Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee
Hong Myung-bo, the head coach of the South Korean national football team, mentioned 'volunteering' as the reason for accepting the coaching position, which has sparked criticism among football fans.
On the 24th, Coach Hong appeared as a witness at the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee's current issues inquiry and responded "No" to the question from Im Oh-kyung, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, asking if he had intended to take on the coaching role from the beginning.
Coach Hong said, "Since February, my name has been mentioned, causing instability for the team (Ulsan HD FC) and the fans," adding, "At that time, there were no concrete proposals, so I thought it was correct to say that." He continued, "The most difficult time in my 40-year football career was after the 2014 Brazil World Cup when I was the national team coach," and said, "Knowing how tough the position was, I wanted to run away."
Regarding the reason for reversing his previous stance and accepting the coaching position, he said, "When Lee Im-saeng, the technical director of the Korea Football Association, came to meet me, it was hard to ignore the difficulties facing Korean football," adding, "I thought the sense of responsibility and mission I had 10 years ago would not come back, but after the meeting, I decided to come out and do one last act of volunteering."
Among football fans, there were criticisms that his statement about 'volunteering' was inappropriate, pointing to Coach Hong's high salary as an issue. Although Coach Hong's salary has not been officially disclosed, it is known that he receives treatment equal to that of foreign coaches.
J?rgen Klinsmann, who was dismissed after one year due to poor performance at the AFC Qatar Asian Cup in February, reportedly had a salary of about 2.9 billion KRW. Paulo Bento, who led the team to the round of 16 at the 2022 FIFA Qatar World Cup, is said to have received a salary of approximately 1.8 to 2 billion KRW.
In response, some football fans criticized, saying, "Where is the volunteering when you receive a 2 billion KRW salary?" and "If you consider it volunteering, then do it unpaid."
Meanwhile, at the current issues inquiry that day, witnesses included Coach Hong, Chung Mong-gyu, president of the Korea Football Association, and Lee Im-saeng, director. Additionally, Jeong Hae-seong, former head of the Strengthening Committee, Kim Dae-eop, head of the technical department responsible for administration, and commentator Park Moon-sung, who has voiced criticism of the football association's administration, appeared as reference witnesses.
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