"With Korean Football in Ruins, No One Offers a Proper Apology" — Moon Sung Park Criticizes Football Association Hearing

Two Days of Unreserved Criticism Following the National Assembly Hearing

"Admit Responsibility, Yet Deny Specific Faults"

Points Out Controversy Over Committee Member–Witness Texts

"Power and Connections Have Ruined Korean Football" —

Soccer commentator Moon Sung Park delivered strong criticism toward former Korea Football Association President Monggyu Chung and former national team coach Myungbo Hong, who appeared at the National Assembly’s hearing on current issues related to the Korea Football Association. Park questioned, "Why is no one offering a proper apology?" He also took issue with the absence of former Technical Director Saeng Lim, insisting that all individuals who led the association under Chung’s regime should step down.

Chung Mong-gyu, former president of the Korea Football Association, is attending a hearing on current issues related to the Korea Football Association held by the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 30th, responding to questions. Photo by the National Assembly Press Photographers Association

On July 31, Park appeared on CBS Radio’s "Sungtae Park’s News Show" and assessed the previous day’s hearing by the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee regarding issues facing the Korea Football Association. He stated, "Korean football is in ruins, yet not a single person admits responsibility for the collapse," adding, "They claim to take responsibility, but when asked what they did wrong, they insist they did nothing wrong."

During the hearing, both former President Chung and former coach Hong apologized for the disappointing performance at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America and for the succession of controversies. Chung expressed regret for failing to meet the expectations of the public and football fans, while Hong also acknowledged the weight of responsibility for the national team’s results at the World Cup. However, both men distanced themselves from allegations surrounding irregularities or preferential treatment in Hong’s appointment process. Park criticized their responses, saying, "I felt a deep sense of shame realizing that people like them have been leading Korean football," and called their attitude irresponsible and cowardly.

"Old Regime Personnel Must Step Down" — Criticism of Chung Monggyu’s Unfulfilled Donation Pledge and Hong Myungbo’s Appointment Procedures

Park also raised the issue of Chung’s unfulfilled donation pledges. He argued that while Chung had announced his intention to make large donations whenever problems arose within the association’s operations, he never actually followed through. During the hearing, when questioned whether he had donated the 5 billion won he promised while seeking a fourth term as association president, Chung replied, "I have not, yet." When pointed out that there had been no donation from Chung in the past year, he conceded that he had failed to fulfill his promise.

Former national football team coach Hong Myung-bo (right) appeared as a witness at the hearing on issues related to the Korea Football Association held by the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee on the 30th, responding to lawmakers' questions. On the left is former Korea Football Association president Chung Mong-gyu. Photo by the National Assembly Press Photographers Group

Park continued his criticism toward Hong’s responses as well. He noted that while Hong spoke of apology and responsibility, he repeatedly claimed ignorance about the appointment process when asked about procedural issues. Especially since Hong had publicly criticized the managerial selection process up until just about a week before being appointed as the head coach, Park argued that it made no sense for Hong now to claim ignorance of problems in the selection process. At the hearing, Hong rebutted allegations that Technical Director Saeng Lim visited him near his home to offer him special treatment or favors, insisting that no such requests had been made. Both Chung and Hong maintained their prior stance that there was nothing wrong with the manager appointment procedure.

Jeong Monggyu, former president of the Korea Football Association (left), and Hong Myungbo, former coach of the national football team, are attending a hearing on current issues of the Korea Football Association held by the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee at the National Assembly on the 30th. Photo by the National Assembly Press Photographers Group

Park also addressed the controversy over text messages that emerged during the hearing. A controversy arose when a journalist’s camera captured Rep. Yonggeun Yoon of the People Power Party sending Chung a text message reading, "I’m sorry we couldn’t accommodate you better," prompting questions about improper contact between a committee member and a witness. Chung thanked Yoon and replied that he would come and greet him elsewhere. Yoon explained the message as a moral expression stemming from their acquaintance and stated it did not affect his questioning at the hearing.

In response, Park said, "It is entirely inappropriate for there to be any pre-arranged contact between committee members and witnesses," criticizing how the mentality that problems can be solved with power or personal connections has contributed to administrative dysfunction in Korean football. He also continued to criticize former Technical Director Saeng Lim for failing to appear at the hearing. Lim had submitted an official statement of non-attendance, citing his employment with a Cambodian professional football team and his being overseas. He also sought to have his legal representative attend on his behalf, but this request was reportedly denied by the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee.

"Attempt to Have Legal Counsel Attend Instead of Saeng Lim Shows an Attitude of Avoiding Public Accountability"

Lim was at the center of controversy for his involvement in the coach selection process in 2024, even though he did not have the authority to recommend a manager at that time. The court also supported the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s recommendation for heavy disciplinary action against Chung, stating that both Chung and Lim were involved in the recommendation process for the national team manager without proper authority. Park had earlier criticized Lim’s failure to attend the hearing on his YouTube channel, stating, "At the very least, Chung Monggyu, Hong Myungbo, and Saeng Lim must appear at the hearing."

Im Saeng, former Technical Director of the Korea Football Association. Yonhap News Agency

He emphasized that the hearing was not a forum to determine legal guilt or innocence, but a place to hold public officials accountable and establish the facts, adding that attempting to use legal representatives could be perceived as hiding behind legal defense rather than offering a direct explanation. Park concluded, "All individuals associated with the old regime under former President Chung must step down. Only when those who consistently maintain a defensive attitude toward both the public and the National Assembly step aside can new people and a new system be established."

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