Chairman Chung Mong-gyu said, "We will continue to reform the Korea Football Association and come up with measures to reform referees." [New Year's address]

*This content was translated by AI.

Chung Mong-kyu, president of the Korea Football Association, promised to continue reforming the association and support national teams at all levels in the new year of 2026.

Chairman Chung Mong-gyu said in his New Year's address on the 1st, "The year 2026 is expected to be a very special and busy year for Korean soccer," adding, "Externally, it is a World Cup year that comes every four years." We will strive to bring joy to the whole nation at the North American World Cup, which will open in June, he said.

Internally, it is also the first year to create a new future for Korean soccer based on the Korea Football Park completed in Cheonan last year, he said. "We will establish and implement mid- to long-term plans and value systems for the balanced development of Korean soccer."

To this end, Chairman Chung proposed ▲ Continuous reform work based on the three major innovations of the Korea Football Association ▲ Best support for national teams at all levels ▲ Fostering a balanced sports development base model for Korea Football Park ▲ Efforts to host the Asian Cup as a new year's goal.

Chairman Chung Mong-gyu said, "I am well aware of the expectations and aspirations of field footballers who enabled me to start my fourth term with more than 85% support in the 55th election of the Korea Football Association last year. We are also taking seriously the concerns and concerns of the fans who criticize us, saying, "We still lack a lot."

He explained, "We will boldly continue structural reform so that the three innovations of 'transparent administration, degree administration, and responsible administration' announced in March last year can be firmly rooted in the principles of business and operation in all areas of the association."

Chairman Chung said, "We will come up with specific reform measures, especially in the referee sector, which was criticized a lot last season," adding, "We will become an association responsible for clear principles, transparent processes, and results to restore the trust of soccer fans step by step."

Chairman Chung Mong-kyu then said, "We will fully prepare and support the national team of all levels to raise the status of Korean soccer in international competitions and give pride to the people," adding, "We will spare no support for coach Hong Myung-bo to achieve the best performance ever in the away World Cup in North American World Cup in June."

He also said, "The men's U-23 national team, led by head coach Lee Min-sung, will play in the AFC Asian Cup from January 7th, and will try to win gold medals at four consecutive Asian Games in Aichi and Nagoya in September. In the month, the women's national team, led by head coach Shin Sang-woo, will play in the Asian Cup. In addition, the Asian Cup and World Cup by men's and women's age groups will continue all year round," he said, announcing his plan to do his best to support national teams at all levels.

He also added a pledge to make Korea Football Park a future for Korean soccer and establish itself as a leading platform for culture.

Chairman Chung Mong-kyu said, "After six years of careful preparation and construction, Korea Football Park, which was completed last year, is proud to have facilities and scale that are comparable to those around the world," adding, "We will make it a platform for soccer players across the country to enjoy and grow together, not just for the national team, but for youth to adults, and for players, leaders, and referees who are involved in all fields, from daily soccer to elites."

"We will carry out branding work to increase public interest and commercial value, and systematize and upgrade operating manuals for various facilities. In addition, we will foster it as a base model for balanced sports development linking the central and local regions, which is a task of our time, he said. "We will quickly stabilize the association's financial soundness by repaying the loans generated for the establishment as much as possible this year."

Chairman Chung Mong-gyu added that he will continue his efforts to host the Asian Cup, which has submitted applications to host the 2031 and 2035 games.

Chairman Chung said, "The Korea Football Association submitted letters of intent to host the 2031 and 2035 Asian Cup to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in February and December last year, respectively. After this year's preparation for the bid, the venue for the two competitions will be decided in the first half of 2027, he explained.

"The Asian Cup is one of the best sporting events in Asia. If it succeeds in attracting the event, it will raise its national status as a host country and lead the K-culture's wish to the world to K-sports, he said. "The Korea Football Association will establish a close cooperation system with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Sports Council to host the Asian Cup, and will work hard to create an atmosphere for the event through cooperation and competition with AFC and other countries."

Chairman Chung said, "From this year, there are big changes in the soccer calendar. From the second half of the year, the FIFA A-match window period will be extended, and four games will be played at once instead of the previous two, he said. "The Hana Bank Korea Cup will also reorganize its tournament method." The first round will begin in July and the final in June next year so that participating teams can play at their best in both the league and the Korea Cup. The W Korea Cup will also be established, with no concession between the WK League teams and the university department," he explained.

Chairman Chung Mong-kyu said, "In this year's 'Year of the Red Horse', which is predicted to have many changes and challenges, the Korea Football Association will not stop making innovation efforts like a racing horse," adding, "The power of Korean soccer comes not only from players on the ground, but also from leaders and referees who have been watching the field, local and school, and soccer fans who are always with us even in difficult times." We will repay you with a role worthy of that belief and expectation," he added.

The following is the full text of the New Year's address by Chung Mong-gyu, president of the Korea Football Assoc.

Dear soccer families, the new year of the disease has come in 2026.

I wish all of you a year full of happiness and wishes come true in your families.

2026 will be a very special and busy year for Korean soccer.

Externally, it's a World Cup year that comes every four years. Last year, the men's national team continued Asia's only record of advancing to the World Cup finals for 11 consecutive times with an unbeaten final qualifying round. We will try to bring joy to the whole nation at the North American World Cup, which will open in June, with a performance based on the technological philosophy of Korean soccer 'fast, courageous, and leading'.

Internally, it is also the first year to create a new future for Korean soccer based on the Korea Football Park, which was completed in Cheonan last year. Since we left Seoul for the first time since the foundation of the Korea Football Association and moved to the center of the country, we will establish and implement mid- to long-term plans and value systems for the balanced development of Korean soccer.

First, we will continue to reform the Korea Football Association based on the three innovations so that it can be reborn as a trusted organization by the people and fans.

I am well aware of the expectations and aspirations of field footballers who enabled me to start my fourth term with more than 85% support in the 55th election of the Korea Football Association last year. We are also taking seriously the concerns and concerns of the fans who criticize us, saying, "We still lack a lot." We will boldly continue structural reform so that the three major innovations of Transparent Administration, Degree Administration, and Responsible Administration announced in March last year can be firmly rooted in the principles of business and operation in all areas of the association. In particular, we will come up with concrete reform measures in the referee sector, which received a lot of rebukes last season. The principle is clear, the process is transparent, and we will become an association responsible for the results and restore the trust of soccer fans step by step.

Second, we will do our best to support national teams at all levels so that they can perform well on international stages such as the World Cup.

We will spare no support to coach Hong Myung-bo to achieve the best performance ever in the away World Cup in North American World Cup in June. The men's U-23 national team, led by head coach Lee Min-sung, will play in the AFC Asian Cup from January 7th, and will try to win gold medals at four consecutive Asian Games in Aichi and Nagoya in September. In March, the women's national team led by head coach Shin Sang-woo will compete in the Asian Cup. In addition, the Asian Cup and World Cup by men's and women's age groups will continue throughout the year. We will fully prepare and support national teams at all levels so that they can raise the status of Korean soccer in international competitions and give pride to the people.

Third, we will make sure that Korea Football Park will create the future of Korean soccer and establish itself as a leading platform for culture.

Korea Football Park, which was completed last year after six years of careful preparation and construction, is proud to have facilities and scale that are comparable to those around the world. We will make it not just a space for the national team, but a platform for soccer players across the country to enjoy and grow together, from youth to adults, from daily soccer to elites, and players, leaders, and referees who are involved in all fields.

We will carry out branding work to increase public interest and commercial value, and systematize and upgrade operation manuals for various facilities. In addition, we will foster it as a base model for balanced sports development linking the central and local regions, which is a task of our time. We will also repay the loans incurred for the construction as much as possible this year to quickly stabilize the association's fiscal soundness.

Finally, we will make full-fledged efforts to host the Asian Cup.

The KFA submitted letters of intent to host the 2031 and 2035 Asian Cup to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in February and December last year, respectively. After this year's preparation for the bid, the venue for the two competitions will be decided in the first half of 2027.

The Asian Cup is one of the best sporting events in the Asian unit. If it succeeds in attracting the event, it will raise its national status as a host country and lead the global K-culture to K-sports. The Korea Football Association will establish a close cooperation system with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Sports Council to host the Asian Cup, and will work hard to create an atmosphere for the bid through cooperation and competition with AFC and other countries.

From this year, there will also be a big change in the soccer calendar. From the second half of the year, due to the expansion of the FIFA A-match window period, four games will be played at once, not two. Hana Bank Korea Cup will also revamp its competition style. The first round will begin in July and the final in June next year so that participating teams can play at their best in both the league and the Korea Cup. The W Korea Cup will also be established, with no concessions between the WK League teams and the university department.

This year, in the Year of the Red Horse, which is foreshadowed by many changes and challenges, the Korea Football Association will not stop trying to innovate like a racing horse. The power of Korean soccer comes not only from the players on the ground, but also from the leaders and referees who have defended the field, from the region and schools, and from the soccer fans who are always with us even in difficult times. We will repay you with a role worthy of that belief and expectation.

I hope this year will be a precious and meaningful year for all the soccer families.

Happy New Year.

January 1, 2026

Chung Mong-gyu, president of the Korea Football Association

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.