At the National Assembly's Culture, Sports, and Tourism Committee, which plans to hold a Korea Football Association hearing on the 30th, some are saying, "The association submitted absurd materials that do not match the intent of the questions—weren't they hastily thrown together with AI (artificial intelligence)?" They also said the association is refusing to submit key materials and not answering whether witnesses will appear.
There are several examples that committee lawmakers see as "absurd materials." In response to a question asking for the association's chronology from its founding to the present, the Korea Football Association reportedly submitted a document stating, "According to what has been passed down, modern soccer was first introduced to this land by British sailors who landed at Jemulpo (Incheon) in 1882." Another document on the chronology since 2011 reportedly states, "It has been about 140 years since soccer was introduced to this land. Despite countless obstacles and trials, the passionate love of our people for soccer, the indomitable grit shown by the players, and the ceaseless challenges of soccer figures aiming for the top of the world have been the driving force behind the shining history of Korean soccer."
An aide to one lawmaker said, "It looks like they either didn't properly grasp the intent of the questions or are trying to dodge them," adding, "Even when you ask AI, you have to input the question precisely to get the right answer—didn't they just slap together an off-the-mark response without any effort?"
On top of that, the association is reportedly refusing to submit key materials requested by the National Assembly committee, citing reasons such as a "Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) audit" and "personal information." Records of convening the power reinforcement meeting when former coach Hong Myung-bo was appointed and the meeting materials (minutes, recordings, evaluation sheets, rosters, etc.), details of contributions during former president Chung Mong-gyu's tenure, and corporate card usage records since Hong's appointment have still not been submitted. The association has also not submitted reports and details on overseas business trips by executives, including the president, since 2023, reportedly citing "lack of time."
On the 23rd, the committee selected key witnesses including former coach Hong and former president Chung, as well as former general director Lee Im-seng, and sent appearance requests, but it reportedly has not yet received answers on whether they will appear.
Cho Kye-won, a Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker on the committee, said, "The Korea Football Association is not a simple private organization but an institution into which hundreds of billions of won from the Sports Promotion Fund and state subsidies are injected every year," adding, "It is hard to accept that an institution run on taxpayers' money is not properly complying when the National Assembly, under the Constitution and the National Assembly Act, oversees it and requests materials."