Chairman Park Jisung: "KFA Presidential Electoral College to Be Expanded to at Least Several Thousand"

Reforming the Electoral College System Limited to 300 Members

"Reflecting a Wider Range of Opinions"

"We Must Prevent a Structure Where a Few Support a Particular Candidate"

Jisung Park, Chairman of the K-Football Innovation Committee, announced plans to expand the electorate for the Korea Football Association (KFA) presidential election from the current limit of 300 people to at least several thousand. The intention is to reform the election system to better reflect the views of the broader football community in choosing a president capable of properly leading the KFA.

At a press conference following the 3rd K-Football Innovation Committee meeting held at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Seoul on July 20, Park stated, "While the scale of the expanded electorate still needs to be determined in future meetings, it will be at least several thousand people."

Jisung Park, Co-Chairman of the K-Football Innovation Committee, is speaking at the 3rd meeting of the K-Football Innovation Committee held on the 20th at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Seoul in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism

The current regulations for Sports Federations under the Korea Sports Association stipulate that member organizations, including the Korea Football Association, elect their president through an electoral college of up to 300 members. Due to this rule, large organizations like the KFA often face criticism that the voices of their many members are not adequately represented in the election process.

Park emphasized, "The system should not allow a small group to support a specific individual. It is most important to lay a solid foundation so that a president, chosen through an election system reflecting a wider range of opinions, can lead the Football Association."

Park also highlighted that expanding the electorate is a matter closely tied to the budget, emphasizing the need for careful discussion to determine the optimal number. He stated, "This is not a decision that can be made in a short period, but it is necessary to decide as quickly as possible."

He also expressed the view that assistance from external organizations may be needed to facilitate the expansion of the electorate. Park said, "We will do our best to secure as many electors as possible, but if the electorate increases, I do not think the Football Association alone can manage the election. Discussions are needed regarding which external organizations might provide support and how they might do so. We are now in the review phase."

Before amending the regulation that specifies the up-to-300-member electoral college, Park explained that other institutional improvement measures discussed at the committee's meeting last week are progressing rapidly.

He said, "At the general assembly of the Korea Sports Association held on July 16, the proposed revision of the articles of association to introduce a direct election system passed and is now pending approval from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. An additional amendment—which establishes an exception to the regulation requiring a new president to be elected within sixty days of the KFA presidency becoming vacant—was also approved by the Korea Sports Association Sports Justice Committee on the same day. This amendment is expected to be finally approved at the Korea Sports Association's board meeting scheduled for July 21 or 22."

Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hwee-Young Choi (second from right) is sharing opinions with Committee Chair Ji-Sung Park at the 3rd meeting of the K-Football Innovation Committee held on the 20th at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Seoul in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism

Park stated that despite some resistance from a few regional football associations, there is little chance that the reform plan for the election system being promoted by the Innovation Committee will be scrapped. He said, "Once the Korea Sports Association's federation regulations are revised, the Korea Football Association must also comply. We fully anticipated that there would be some backlash, but I do not think it will be enough to force a return to the old system if the reform faces difficulties."

Regarding the proposal by Korea Sports Association President Seungmin Yoo to designate the KFA as a managed organization, Park said he is personally opposed to such a measure. He explained, "The issue of designating the KFA as a managed organization was mentioned at the first meeting, but it was not specifically addressed. Ultimately, whether to assign managed status must be decided by the Korea Sports Association. However, as the KFA is already showing a willingness to move in the same direction as the Innovation Committee, I personally believe that such a measure will not be necessary."

Park added that starting next week, the Innovation Committee plans to actively discuss mid- to long-term strategies for the sustainable development of Korean football. He said, "At our last meeting, the committee agreed that the most important task is to establish a philosophy that runs through youth and tiered player development. Going forward, we plan to listen to presentations from relevant organizations regarding key projects and budgets necessary to put this philosophy into practice, and then continue our discussions based on that."

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