"Are You Really Smiling Now?" Public Reacts to Im Saeng Lee's Recent Status After Leading Hong Myung-bo's Appointment

Resigned from the Football Association after leading Hong Myung-bo's appointment in 2024
Renewed calls for accountability after World Cup group stage exit

As former head coach of the Korean national football team Hong Myungbo stepped down, taking responsibility for the team's elimination in the group stage of the 2026 North and Central America World Cup, questions of accountability are once again being raised toward Im Saeng Lee, the former Technical Director of the Korea Football Association, who led the process of appointing Hong as coach.

According to Cha Bumgeun Soccer School and others on the 30th, Im is currently serving as a director at Cha Bumgeun Soccer School. The school posted photos of a luncheon event for staff encouragement on its social media accounts the previous day. In the released photos, Im can be seen sitting in the front row, smiling.

Im Saeng Lee, former Technical Director at the Korea Football Association. Photo by Yonhap News

The timing of the photo's release coincided with the announcement of Hong's resignation, drawing football fans' attention back to Im. Im played a central role in appointing Hong as national team coach in 2024. At the time, after the dismissal of former coach Jurgen Klinsmann, the Korea Football Association had searched for a new coach for an extended period, with Jeong Haesung, the former chairman of the National Team Strengthening Committee, leading the appointment process.

However, after Jeong resigned, Im took over the subsequent procedures. Im conducted interviews with foreign candidates such as David Wagner and Gus Poyet in Europe before returning to Korea and then met with Hong directly to request that he accept the role of head coach. Unlike the formal interview process for foreign candidates, Im's meeting with Hong took place without any observers or an open evaluation process, which led to controversy over procedural legitimacy from the moment of appointment.

At the July 2024 briefing for Hong's appointment, Im stated that he had "received full authority from President Jeong Monggyu," emphasizing that he was responsible for the coaching selection process. At the time, he said, "You may criticize my lack of knowledge and experience. If I made a mistake, I will of course accept it," making it clear that he would take responsibility for appointing Hong.

The problem was the outcome. Under Hong's leadership, the team failed to meet expectations at the North and Central America World Cup and was eliminated in the group stage. On the 29th, Hong announced his resignation in Mexico, stepping down as head coach. After his resignation, criticism has shifted beyond Hong himself to the Korea Football Association and to Im, who was the executive in charge at the time.

Cha Bumgeun Soccer School SNS Photos Draw Attention... Spotlight on Past Role in Coaching Appointment

Im left the Korea Football Association last year. In September 2024, he appeared as a witness at the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee's current issues inquiry, where he was questioned about the process of appointing Hong and announced his intention to resign. When asked whether there were flaws in the process of delegating the final decision to the Strengthening Committee, Im responded, "This is a matter of my honor," and said, "I will resign."

In 2024, Im Saeng, Technical Director of the Korea Football Association, is greeting at the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee of the National Assembly during the current issues inquiry on the Korea Football Association and others. Photo by Hyunmin Kim

He resigned as Technical Director after only about four months in the position. Initially, Im was tasked with overseeing the Korea Football Association's long-term technical vision and philosophy for managing the national team. However, due to the controversy surrounding Hong's appointment, he became more prominently associated with the coaching selection debate than with his original duties of shaping Korea's football philosophy.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism also concluded at the time that there were problems with Hong's appointment. The ministry found that, according to Korea Football Association regulations, the authority to recommend a coach lies with the National Team Strengthening Committee, and that Im's recommendation of the final candidate was a violation of procedure. In addition, the ministry pointed out that the interview process with Hong was conducted in a less transparent and fair manner than with foreign candidates.

Resignation from the Association Amid Growing Controversy, But Questions Over the Appointment Process Persist

The Korea Football Association filed an administrative lawsuit to contest the ministry's findings, but the court ruled in April that there were no issues with the ministry's audit or its demands for corrective action. Police also received eight complaints regarding Hong's appointment in 2024 and have been conducting related investigations. Jeong Monggyu, President of the Korea Football Association, has already announced his intention to step down following the North and Central America World Cup. As Hong's resignation, Jeong's planned departure, and Im's past statements all come under renewed scrutiny, the discourse on accountability within Korean football administration is intensifying.

Jeong Monggyu, President of the Korea Football Association (front), Lee Imsang, Technical Director of the Association (from the right), Hong Myungbo, head coach of the national soccer team, and Jeong Haesung, former chairman of the Association's Strengthening Committee, attending the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism plenary meeting held at the National Assembly. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

The government has also begun taking follow-up measures. Choi Hwi-young, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, announced that a special audit would be conducted to determine the causes of the "Hong Myungbo-ho" World Cup failure and to examine the Korea Football Association's management issues. The ministry plans to form an investigative committee that includes external experts to analyze the causes of the association's incompetence, mismanagement, and complacency.

Inside and outside the football community, there are calls that the issue should not end with the resignation of a single head coach. Critics point out that the entire appointment process—including the delegation of authority, evaluation procedures, and the association's decision-making structure—should be thoroughly reviewed. Im stated two years ago, "If a mistake was made, I will of course accept it." After the failure of Hong's team, that statement is being recalled among football fans. While it is unclear what realistic consequences Im, who has already left the association, may face, as the person who justified the legitimacy of Hong's appointment, he is finding it difficult to avoid public criticism.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.