Soccer commentator Park Moon-sung countered claims made by Korea Football Association Vice President Kim Byung-ji, who publicly questioned him. Park said Kim was muddying the waters without answering the essence of the allegations surrounding him.

Park Moon-sung, a soccer commentator, delivers the keynote address at the emergency debate Diagnosing the Crisis of Korean Soccer and Alternatives at the National Assembly Members' Office Building in Yeouido, Seoul, on July 8 in the afternoon. /Courtesy of News1

Commissioner Park on Jan. 31 rebutted Kim's claims point by point on his social media.

Earlier, on Jan. 24, Vice President Kim mentioned several allegations and rumors surrounding Commissioner Park on his YouTube channel.

Responding to the claim that he looked the other way on the Korea Football Association corporate card misuse issue, Commissioner Park said, "I quit journalism in 2009, so when the Korea Football Association corporate card misuse issue surfaced in 2016, I was not in a position to cover it or deal with it."

Addressing the rumor that he was offered the association's vice presidency, he said, "I neither showed interest nor received any offer. After the National Assembly hearing, I only said on air that under Chairman Chung Mong-gyu's leadership, nothing would change."

Regarding the controversy that he was involved in the process of appointing the Soongsil University soccer team's head coach, he countered, "At the school's request to fill a vacancy, I only participated as one of several operating committee members, and the appointment went through proper procedures, including an open recruitment, interview, and scoring."

He also drew a line at references to his child's overseas studies. Commissioner Park said, "I want to ask what on earth my activities in the public sphere have to do with my child's life. I have never used my position or influence to seek improper benefits for relatives."

He also rebutted suspicions that something untoward happened at a post-event gathering for a travel agency he ran, saying, "The 2020 gathering was also a normal event attended by about 10 people. There are related photos and video materials."

Commissioner Park also voiced criticism toward Vice President Kim. Park said, "You can faithfully undergo an investigation and explain the allegations raised. Claiming that others have problems does not resolve or erase the suspicions surrounding Representative Kim."

He added, "It can only be seen as a typical frame shift that attacks the person who raised the allegations and blurs the point," and "Representative Kim should live his own life, and I will live mine, faithfully explain the allegations raised, and take responsibility."

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