Supreme Court Upholds Block on Severe Disciplinary Action Against Korea Football Association President Chung Monggyu, Dismissing MCST’s Appeal

MCST Requested Suspension Following Last Year’s Audit
Association Filed Lawsuit to Overturn Decision and Sought Injunction
Injunction Confirmed... Lawsuit to Overturn Disciplinary Action Still in First Instance

The court has ultimately blocked the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's (MCST) request for a severe disciplinary action against Chung Monggyu, president of the Korea Football Association. The Supreme Court dismissed the ministry’s appeal, leaving the association’s injunction against the disciplinary action in effect.

According to legal sources on September 28, the Supreme Court’s Special Third Panel, presided over by Justice Lee Heungku, dismissed the MCST’s re-appeal on September 25 without a hearing. Such a dismissal without a hearing means that, except in criminal cases, the court found no significant violation of law in the appellate court’s decision and thus rejected the appeal without further examination.

Chung Monggyu, president of the Korea Football Association, is responding to a lawmaker's question during a session of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee held at the National Assembly last year regarding current issues related to the Korea Football Association. Photo by Kim Hyunmin

Previously, in November of last year, the MCST announced the results of a special audit of the Korea Football Association and requested severe disciplinary measures, including suspension of qualifications, against key officials including President Chung. In response, the association filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn the disciplinary action and simultaneously applied for an injunction to suspend its effect.

In February, the Seoul Administrative Court accepted the association’s request, stating, "The disciplinary action could cause irreparable harm to the applicant." The Seoul High Court upheld this decision in May. With the Supreme Court’s recent ruling, the decisions of the lower courts have now been finalized.

However, the main lawsuit regarding whether President Chung will be disciplined is still ongoing. The Korea Football Association’s lawsuit against the MCST to cancel the disciplinary action is currently being heard in the first instance at the Seoul Administrative Court.

Despite the controversy, President Chung was re-elected for a fourth consecutive term on February 26, winning 156 out of 182 valid votes in the association’s presidential election.