"Was Myungbo Hong's Appointment Appropriate?"... Police Question Jooho Park as Reference Witness

Investigation Into Reasons Behind Exclusion of Foreign Managers

The police, who are currently investigating whether the appointment process of former national football team manager Myungbo Hong was appropriate, have called in Jooho Park, former Strengthening Committee Member of the Korea Football Association, as a reference witness for questioning.

The Financial Crime Investigation Division of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency announced on July 14 that they recently questioned former member Park as a reference witness. It is reported that during the questioning, Park stated that he was not fully aware of the details of the process by which former manager Hong was ultimately appointed.

Jooho Park, former Strengthening Committee member of the Korea Football Association, is attending the full meeting of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee held at the National Assembly in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul on September 24, 2024, responding to lawmakers' inquiries.

In 2024, Park served as a member of the Strengthening Committee and participated in the process of recommending candidates for the manager position when Hong was appointed. At that time, he publicly criticized the appointment process, claiming there was a gap between the pool of candidates recommended by the committee and the actual appointment procedure, raising concerns about procedural issues in Hong's selection.

The police focused on verifying the recommendation and final appointment process for the manager position, as well as the operation of the Strengthening Committee, through Park's testimony. In particular, they are reported to have investigated why foreign managers, such as Jesse Marsch, whom Park recommended as candidates, were excluded from the final pool of candidates.

On the same day, the police are also questioning other former Strengthening Committee members involved in Hong's appointment as reference witnesses. Additionally, they are conducting statements from the complainant— a representative of the People's Welfare Measures Committee— who reported former Korea Football Association President Monggyu Chung, former technical director Im Saeng Lee, and former manager Hong on charges of interference with official duties and breach of duty.

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