Former national soccer team head coach Hong Myung-bo flatly denied recent allegations of corporate card misuse. He argued that he made expenditures only for permitted purposes and within set limits under the Korea Football Association's official guidelines.
On the 29th, Hong issued a "rebuttal to JTBC's report on corporate card use," saying, "JTBC reported that during my tenure as national team head coach, about 14 million won was spent over two years at restaurants in Bundang-gu, where my home is located," and added, "However, parts of the article differ from the facts, and I would like to explain this."
First, Hong said he submitted proof for all expenditures to the football association and completed the settlement process. He also noted that while working as head coach, he was never once flagged internally over corporate card use or instructed to correct it.
In response to criticism that he used the corporate card 31 times only on red days (public holidays) over the past two years, he cited the unique work environment of national team coaches. He said, "One of the main duties of the national team head coach and coaching staff is to check K League players in person," adding, "Most K League matches are held on weekends and public holidays. It is common for the coaching staff to visit stadiums on weekends and holidays to observe and assess players and to hold meetings."
He added, "Over the past two years, the national team roster was announced on Mondays in most cases, and meetings on the weekend just before finalizing the roster were essential. Corporate card use on weekends or public holidays was for coaching staff meals and business promotion expenses incurred in the course of national team duties."
He also gave a detailed explanation of why 14.08 million won was charged in Bundang-gu, Seongnam. He said, "All of the national team's foreign coaches lived in Bundang-gu. The national team coaching staff used a shared office in Bundang-gu for meetings and work, and meals were also in Bundang-gu."
He said, "The national soccer team was called up twice last year at a hotel in Jeongja-dong, Bundang-gu. The team used that hotel as player lodging for the 2025 East Asian Cup and the Asian third-round qualifier against Jordan for the North and Central America World Cup, held in Yongin and Suwon," adding, "Corporate card use in Bundang-gu was not personal consumption but the result of work-related expenditures concentrated due to the foreign coaching staff's residence and the team's call-ups and operations."
Regarding "corporate card use at a premium Korean beef, known as hanwoo, restaurant, a Chinese restaurant, and a gukbap shop," he said, "In the case of the premium Korean beef, known as hanwoo, restaurant and the Chinese restaurant, if I went privately, I used a personal card," adding, "After checking following the report, the amount spent on a personal card at those restaurants over the past two years was almost the same as the corporate card amount. This can be proven by card statements."
Hong added, "At the gukbap shop, there were more personal card payments. Contrary to the report, I have never dined alone at the gukbap shop using the corporate card. This can be confirmed by the corporate card payment amounts."
For the Chinese restaurant as well, he explained that it was about a one-minute walk (50 meters) from the shared office meeting room (Pangyo-dong, Bundang-gu) that served as the coaching staff's meeting venue, and because it had private rooms suitable for holding meetings and meals together, they used it continuously.
Hong said, "It is very regrettable that this report interpreted work-related use as private solely because it was close to my home and did not consider the national team's work environment and the coaching staff's residential circumstances," adding, "I plan to prepare supporting documents to explain at the hearing."