South Korean Political Parties Unite in Criticizing Football Association After World Cup Elimination

SEOUL, June 28 (Yonhap) -- Rival political parties were united in their criticism of the national football governing body on Sunday in light of the country's elimination at the ongoing FIFA World Cup. Representatives for the ruling Democratic Party (DP) and the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) called for a parliamentary probe into operations at the Korea Football Association (KFA). Rep. Park Beo-kye of the ruling party took to Facebook to voice his displeasure after South Korea, coached by Hong Myung-bo, missed out on a chance to sneak into the round of 32 earlier in the day. "Out of patriotism, I was hoping the team would reach the round of 32," Park wrote. "This showed that what Korean football needs is not merely remodeling, but reconstruction." South Korea finished third in Group A with three points from a win and two losses and ended up 10th among 12 third-place teams -- with the top eight from that group qualifying for the knockout stage. The KFA and its outgoing leader, Chung Mong-gyu, have been subject to significant public backlash since hiring Hong in July 2024 for his second tour of duty with the national team. The National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee had summoned Hong, Chung and other KFA senior executives as witnesses in September that year, with lawmakers grilling them on what they believed was an unfair and opaque process to hire Hong. "The KFA is the biggest enemy for Korean football," another DP lawmaker, Song Young-gil, wrote on Facebook. "This outcome has been in the making since the 2014 World Cup (when Hong was also head coach). The hiring process wasn't fair in the first place. What Korean football needs the most right now isn't just bringing in a new head coach, but reforming the KFA. There must be major changes that can bring Korean football back to fans." Rep. Kim Seung-su of the PPP argued that the KFA has to take responsibility for the national team's World Cup performance. "In 2024, I pointed out problems with the process that led to the hiring of Hong Myung-bo as the national team head coach, and demanded responsible steps and reform by the KFA," Kim wrote in a Facebook post. "But the KFA ignored people's concerns and it is now faced with the outcome that is being criticized. If I served on the sports committee, I would conduct a thorough review of the KFA's operations and hold the KFA accountable to ensure sports administration can become trustworthy and Korean football can bounce back."