Minister Chae Hwi-young of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said, "We will swiftly push for a sweeping overhaul of the entire soccer administration with a resolve as if cutting to the bone so that the hope and pride of all the people can be revived."
It appears to reflect the intense criticism of the Korea Football Association (KFA), after the South Korea men's national soccer team led by Coach Hong Myung-bo finished third in Group A at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North and Central America and the Caribbean and placed 34th overall, the worst ranking ever.
The Minister wrote on social media on the 28th, "I report after receiving the president's instructions," adding the above. Earlier, the president said about the team's failure to reach the round of 32, "I feel not just perplexed but dumbfounded. It is due to failures in organization and personnel."
The president also said, "We will swiftly push for reforms in sports administration to prevent a recurrence of such incidents," and added, "As a great deal of taxpayers' money and national support capacity is poured into World Cup participation, please have the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) identify the situation and prepare measures for improvement and prevention of recurrence."
In response, the Minister said, "We will form a committee of experts to thoroughly investigate what caused this devastating result, and in the process we will strictly hold those responsible to account for incompetence and poor performance that come to light."
He continued, "We will ensure strict administrative guidance so that the soccer association is run transparently and fairly by soccer people and can faithfully fulfill its original role and function, and we will build a system that enables public oversight and checks."
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST), the ministry in charge of the KFA, also examined KFA's problems in 2024. In July that year, it conducted an inspection related to the controversy over appointing Coach Hong, and in November it even demanded heavy disciplinary action against KFA President Chung Mong-gyu. At the time, the KFA filed a lawsuit in objection.
At the time, along with the objection suit, the KFA applied to the court for a stay of execution of the disposition and won the request, which allowed President Chung Mong-gyu to secure a fourth consecutive term. However, in April, the Seoul Administrative Court ruled against the plaintiff, finding that the MCST's disciplinary demand was justified. Chung has said he will step down from the presidency right after the World Cup.