Culture Ministry: "Hong Myung-bo Coach Appointment Process Opaque and Unfair"

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced on the 2nd that procedural issues were found in the appointment process of Coach Hong Myung-bo by the Korea Football Association (KFA), stating that Lee Im-saeng, the KFA Technical Director, recommended Coach Hong despite having no authority to recommend the national football team coach. The ministry also pointed out that the interview process for Coach Hong was opaque and unfair.

On the same day, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced the interim results of the audit related to the appointment process of Coach Hong at the Government Complex Seoul.

Choi Hyun-joon, the ministry’s auditor, pointed out, "Lee Im-saeng, the Technical Director, who is not a member of the Strengthening Committee but oversees the KFA Technical Headquarters, had no authority to recommend a coach. However, he conducted face-to-face interviews with three coaching candidates and decided the recommendation priority, reporting it on the grounds that he was delegated to proceed with follow-up procedures after the appointment by the president and the full-time vice president." He also criticized the face-to-face interview on July 5 between Lee Im-saeng and candidate Hong Myung-bo as unfair. Auditor Choi said, "Without prior interview questions or observers, the Technical Director waited alone for 4 to 5 hours and conducted the interview late at night near Coach Hong’s residence. Moreover, during the interview, the Technical Director proposed and requested the coaching position, which was different from the face-to-face interviews with other coaching candidates."

Choi Hyun-jun, Auditor of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, is announcing the results of a special audit related to the appointment of the Korea Football Association coach on the 2nd at the annex of the Government Seoul Office in Jongno, Seoul. Photo by Jo Yong-jun jun21@

Auditor Choi also pointed out problems in the process of recommending coaching candidates before Jeong Hae-seong, the former chairman of the Strengthening Committee, resigned. He stated, "On June 27, before Chairman Jeong expressed his intention to resign, he reported the recommendation priority of three coaching candidates (1st priority: Coach Hong Myung-bo, 2nd priority: Candidate B, 3rd priority: Candidate A) to Chung Mong-gyu, president of the KFA. However, it was confirmed that Chairman Jeong recommended Coach Hong as the first priority without conducting any interview with him, unlike the other two foreign coaching candidates who had non-face-to-face interviews."

However, Auditor Choi said, "Although there were procedural issues in the appointment process of Coach Hong, it is unlikely that the contract will be invalidated." Regarding disciplinary actions against those involved in the controversy over Coach Hong’s appointment, he stated, "The independence of the Football Association must be respected, and it is a specialized field," indicating that the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism cannot enforce disciplinary measures.

The Korea Football Association dismissed former coach J?rgen Klinsmann in February and, after searching for a new coach for five months, selected Coach Hong Myung-bo, then head coach of Ulsan HD in professional football. However, controversies arose over the appointment process, and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism formed an audit team of about ten members to conduct an audit of the KFA starting July 29. The audit was conducted for three weeks, and the final audit results are scheduled to be released at the end of October. The ministry plans to determine the overall level of disciplinary action based on the final audit results and request the Football Association to take action accordingly.