Police questioned executives of the Korea Football Association and members of its power reinforcement committee to determine whether there was improper interference from higher-ups in the process of appointing former national team coach Hong Myung-bo.
According to police on the 14th, the Financial Crime Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Major Crime Investigation Division summoned, as reference witnesses, A, who served as a member of the association's power reinforcement committee when Hong was appointed, and B, who served as a vice president of the association.
Composed of soccer experts, the power reinforcement committee reviews candidates for the national team coach and then recommends the appointment of a specific candidate to the association's board of directors, the higher body.
A served as a Commissioner when the power reinforcement committee recommended Hong as the No. 1 coaching candidate in 2024. Police appear to have checked with A whether there were any violations of appointment procedures and rules in the process of the power reinforcement committee handing Hong the reins of the national team.
Police also summoned, as a reference witness, B, who was a nonstanding vice president of the association at the time of Hong's appointment and is now working as a commentator. Police were said to have asked B about the process of appointing association directors and the committee's coach recommendation process. B reportedly testified that the board was not briefed at all on the committee's deliberations at the time.
Under association rules, the national team coach is appointed after the power reinforcement committee, composed of experts, recommends candidates and the board of directors, the association's final decision-making body, approves the choice.
Police plan to soon summon for questioning others who served as power reinforcement committee members alongside A, as well as officials connected to the association's board.
Earlier, the Jongno Police Station in Seoul began investigating after receiving related complaints starting in July 2024, when Hong was appointed, but it failed to reach a conclusion for about two years. Considering the seriousness of the matter, police transferred the case to the Major Crime Investigation Division's financial crime unit on the 1st.
On the 9th, the financial crime unit summoned, as a reference witness, Park Joo-ho, a former power reinforcement committee member of the association who had raised concerns that the process of appointing Hong was unfair.
Police questioned Park, a former Commissioner, about the process of recommending and appointing Hong and the reasons other coaching candidates were excluded from consideration. In the process, police were said to have obtained testimony from Park to the effect that "the process of appointing Hong was not properly known."