Chairman Park Jisung: "Regulation on 60-Day By-Election for Football Association President to Be Revised... Sufficient Time Needed"

Innovation Committee: "Election System Reform with Sufficient Time"
Discussion on Youth Development Also Held... Will Not Attend National Assembly Hearing

Jisung Park, Co-Chair of the K Football Innovation Committee, announced on July 13 that the current regulation requiring a by-election to elect a new president of the Korea Football Association within 60 days in the event of a vacancy will be amended. The intention is to secure sufficient time for deliberation and preparation in order to elect the next president who will lead the future of Korean football.

After the 2nd meeting of the K Football Innovation Committee held at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, Park stated, "The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee has decided to revise the member sports organizations’ regulations, which stipulate that a new president must be elected within 60 days of a vacancy. We will provide institutional support to extend the election period if there are unavoidable circumstances." He explained that the reason for amending the 60-day by-election rule is "to allow more time and to establish an election plan that enables the president to be elected through proper procedures."

Jisung Park, Chairman of the K-Football Innovation Committee, explains the results of the meeting after the 2nd meeting of the K-Football Innovation Committee held on the 13th at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

Former Korea Football Association President Chung Mong-gyu submitted his resignation on July 6. According to the current regulation, the Korea Football Association must elect a new president by early September. The Innovation Committee has determined that the 60-day period is not sufficient to reform the election system and thoroughly vet suitable candidates.

Park added, "This measure will also apply to other sports organizations that have experienced prolonged vacancy in the presidency, such as the Water Ski Association, the Jiu-Jitsu Association, and the Modern Pentathlon Federation, which have each faced instability due to vacancies lasting more than 60 days. The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee will begin the process of amending the regulation on July 14 and aims to complete the amendment within this month." He further explained that after the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee completes the amendment, the Korea Football Association will also revise its articles of association accordingly and prepare plans to reform the election system, which will be discussed at the next Innovation Committee meeting.

Park stated that in addition to reviewing the regulatory revisions of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee and the Korea Football Association’s articles of association, the Innovation Committee also discussed additional future agenda items, such as measures for nurturing youth players.

However, Park clarified that the issues of the election method for the Korea Football Association’s presidency and the expansion of the electoral college were not addressed at the meeting. He explained that the revision of the election deadline regulation was prioritized, so the matter of the electoral college was not discussed. He added, "The issue of the electoral college should be discussed only after the regulation on the 60-day by-election is amended," and emphasized, "No concrete decisions have been made regarding the electoral college yet."

Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hwee-young Choi and Co-Chair of the K Football Innovation Committee Jisung Park are holding the 2nd meeting of the K Football Innovation Committee on the 13th at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul. Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism

The current Korea Football Association presidential election is conducted through an indirect voting system in which an electoral college of at least 100 and no more than 300 members participates. In last year’s presidential election, about 192 members of the electoral college voted. However, with approximately 150,000 registered football players and 20,000 coaches, there have been concerns that the opinions of the football community are not adequately reflected. While the need to expand the electoral college is being discussed, increased election costs and the burden of management remain as issues that must be addressed.

Park stated, "We are working on a plan that would allow for a broader electoral college to participate," but also said, "Whether this can be applied starting from the upcoming Korea Football Association presidential election will depend on various factors such as time and available personnel." He added, "Since the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee has been discussing the electoral college issue for a year and a half, it is necessary to review the matter based on the discussions that have taken place so far."

Park also announced that he will not attend the upcoming National Assembly Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee hearing scheduled for July 22. He said, "There is nothing I can contribute regarding the football association’s work at the hearing," and explained, "I see no particular reason to attend the hearing."

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