"Earning over 100 million won a year, but only 26 days in the office?"... Lee Donggook faces "neglect of duty" allegations: "I worked outside the office; I apologize"

Rep. Kim Jaewon's Office Releases Yongin FC Entry Records
Entry Record on Only One of 14 Squad-Strengthening Meeting Days
Club: "Actual Attendance Differs"; Lee: "I Apologize"

Lee Donggook, technical director of K League 2 club Yongin FC, has come under fire over alleged neglect of his duties after records showed that he entered the club's office on only 26 days over the past 10 months, despite receiving annual compensation in the 100 million won range.

Lee Donggook, technical director of Yongin FC in the K League 2. Instagram

Entered office on just 26 of 308 days... No remarks recorded in meeting minutes

According to documents provided by Yongin FC to the office of Rep. Kim Jaewon of the Rebuilding Korea Party, a member of the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, on October 21, records showed that the director entered the club office at Yongin Mireu Stadium on just 26 days during the 308-day period from December 14, 2025, to October 17, 2026. No entry records were found for the roughly six months from shortly after he took office in June 2025 until mid-December that year.

The director signed a two-year contract with the club in June 2025. His annual compensation, including expenses for away games, is 144 million won, or 288 million won for the full contract period. According to the club's job description, the technical director is responsible for overseeing the first team, youth teams and coaching staff, and for personally preparing technical reports and development plans. The role also includes establishing the club's football philosophy, guiding its mid- to long-term technical development and operating its player development system.

According to the club's weekly work schedule, at least 14 squad-strengthening meetings to discuss player recruitment and performance assessments had been scheduled since March 2026. The only day on which the director had an office entry record among those meetings was March 6. The minutes of the May 23 meeting, the only one for which official minutes were available, listed the director as an attendee, but did not record any remarks by him. There was also no stadium entry-tag record for him that day.

A former club official told JTBC in an interview that the director had neglected his work because of outside activities, including YouTube content, advertising shoots and television appearances. "The director usually came to the office on Thursday or Friday afternoons and left around 6 p.m.," the former official said. Another former official claimed, "It was difficult to match his salary expectations under a full-time contract, and the club sought to use his public profile during its founding process."

Club and Lee Donggook offer explanations... "Management system needs review"

Yongin FC said, "He is a non-full-time contractor, not a full-time employee, so the same attendance standards as those for regular employees do not apply." The club added, "Entry-card records only show passage through the gates, and there were days when he entered without using his card, so the records differ from the actual number of days he came to work." It also said, "He attended all four squad-strengthening committee meetings at which key matters were decided, and was appropriately involved in club events, open tryouts for players and business agreements with overseas clubs."

The director's representatives said, "We regret that his non-full-time work arrangement, despite his receiving an annual salary of over 100 million won, may have given citizens and football fans the impression that he was not doing enough." They added, "Over the past year, he came to work one to three times a week and continued to discuss work outside the office through mobile messaging apps, phone calls and other means."

Rep. Kim said, "Yongin FC is a civic club funded by taxpayers' money." He added, "A thorough review is needed to determine whether senior officials receiving high compensation have faithfully carried out their actual duties and whether the club's management and oversight systems have been working properly."

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