'Appeasement Controversy' KakaoTalk Revealed... Iimsaeng Chukhyup Director Tearfully Declares 'Resignation'

"Please say you agreed to the reporter" request

Lee Im-saeng, Technical Director General of the Korea Football Association, announced his intention to resign after controversy grew over procedural flaws in obtaining the consent of the National Team Strengthening Committee members for the appointment of Hong Myung-bo as the national football team coach.

On the 24th, Lee appeared as a witness at the National Assembly’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee’s urgent inquiry. When committee members continued to point out procedural issues in the appointment process led by him, he choked up and expressed his intention to step down.

On the same day, Min Hyung-bae, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, raised suspicions by presenting KakaoTalk chat screenshots exchanged between Lee and a Strengthening Committee member, Mr. A.

Hong Myung-bo, head coach of the national soccer team, and Lee Im-saeng, technical director of the Korea Football Association, attended the full meeting of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul on the 24th, sitting and waiting for the meeting to begin. 2024.9.24
Photo by Yonhap News

The KakaoTalk conversation took place on the night of July 8, the day after the Football Association appointed Coach Hong as the national team coach. In the chat, Lee requested Mr. A, saying, “Please just confirm with XX reporter that I will make the final decision and that you agree.” Six minutes later, Mr. A replied, “I think it would be better if you proceed without including me. Sorry.”

Lee had explained through press conferences that before meeting Coach Hong Myung-bo, he had obtained consent from five Strengthening Committee members regarding the ‘delegation of the final decision.’ The chat screenshots presented by Rep. Min appear to contradict Lee’s claims.

Lee took over the coaching appointment process after former Strengthening Committee Chairman Jeong Hae-seong suddenly resigned following the shortlisting of three final candidates: Hong Myung-bo, Guus Hiddink, and David Wagner. Lee traveled to Europe and conducted interviews with foreign candidates in Spain and Germany on July 3.

Subsequently, on July 5, Lee met with Coach Hong in Korea, offered him the national team coach position, and secured his acceptance. Prior to meeting Hong, Lee had explained through press conferences that he had sought consent from five Strengthening Committee members.

However, according to the KakaoTalk screenshots presented by Rep. Min, Mr. A did not comply with Lee’s request to confirm to the reporter that he had delegated the ‘final decision.’

KakaoTalk conversation between Lee Im-saeng, Technical Director of the Football Association, and Mr. A, a member of the Strengthening Committee.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

When Rep. Min asked, “Did you get consent from all five members?” Lee hesitated and failed to answer properly, instead asking, “Over the phone?” He then said, “(If you say you got consent) why are you asking for consent like that? This person (Mr. A) told me he never sought consent from you (Lee),” and added, “Why did you try to coax him like that?”

Park Joo-ho, a commentator who served as a Strengthening Committee member and attended as a witness that day, responded to Rep. Min’s question about whether he gave consent to Lee by saying, “I remember having a phone call with him for about a minute. We talked about seeking consent, but to me, it felt more like a notification.”

As Rep. Min persistently probed and criticized the issue, Lee choked up and said, “I will resign,” adding, “This concerns my honor, so I want to make it clear. I asked to be allowed to make the (coach) decision and received consent from all five members.”

Meanwhile, Rep. Min also criticized Korea Football Association President Chung Mong-gyu, saying, “You really worked carelessly,” and added, “Either replace all the executives or the president should step down; one of the two must happen to stop the ‘Chung Mong-gyu Out’ chants.” In response, President Chung said, “If there is something wrong, I feel sorry and regretful.”