"Hong Myung-bo was appointed alone" — Where is the mastermind behind this tragedy? 'Consecutive escapes' paint a bitter picture of Korean football [World Cup Issue]

*This content was translated by AI.

The lingering bitterness following South Korea's crushing defeat in the North, Central America, and Caribbean World Cup group stage is palpable. Despite receiving the worst performance record in history, no one has taken responsibility. Meanwhile, Lee Im-saeng, former executive director of the Technical Department at the Korean Football Association (KFA) and a central figure in the controversy over Hong Myung-bo's appointment as head coach, has come under fire for his irresponsible evasion of duty.

Since the World Cup elimination, former director Lee Im-saeng has completely avoided public appearances amid fierce criticism from the football community. Although it was revealed on the 30th via Cha Bum-kun Football School's social networking service (SNS) that he attended an event at the school, the key figure responsible for leading Korean football into disaster continues to evade public scrutiny while engaging only in private activities.

This pattern of evading responsibility by former director Lee Im-saeng was foreseeable even during the head coach appointment process. During a prior inquiry by the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, he tearfully pleaded his innocence, but it was later revealed that he had blatantly lied to the National Assembly, leading to his indictment for perjury.

At that time, when asked by the National Assembly who accompanied him during the meeting with the national team head coach, former director Lee Im-saeng responded: "Coach Hong Myung-bo often visits a bakery, so we met alone from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. and had a conversation." In an official briefing, he also emphasized his sole authority, stating that after meeting foreign coaches and returning home, he personally decided to meet Coach Hong, claiming he "handled the entire head coach appointment process alone."

However, investigation results later confirmed that Choi Young-il, KFA vice president and a long-time colleague of Coach Hong Myung-bo at the association who even shared meals during their national team days, had accompanied them on this meeting. Vice President Choi also admitted to his presence, exposing former director Lee's claim of a private meeting as clear perjury.

At the time, the KFA offered a weak excuse stating that "Vice President Choi accompanied them but did not participate in the meeting." When rumors surfaced about attempts to bribe committee members, former director Lee tearfully announced his resignation, claiming his reputation was at stake. The fact that the person responsible for creating this situation has remained silent and vanished without offering even a single apology since the tragedy is nothing short of deception toward football fans.

Furthermore, the irresponsible actions of former head coach Hong Myung-bo, brought in by former director Lee who wielded full authority, along with the administrative head, have left an indelible stain on Korean football. After the crushing defeat, Coach Hong resigned without providing any specific analysis of the causes, leaving only a brief monologue statement lasting less than two minutes at the Mexico base camp before immediately heading to his home in Los Angeles, where he has faced intense criticism.

Even when the KFA issued its first official statement on the 3rd, the name of Han Chuk-gu-hyeop (Chairman) was conspicuously absent. While the KFA expressed sincere apologies through a letter titled "To Our Football Fans," stating, "We sincerely apologize for disappointing you with results that fell short of expectations," it failed to disclose who was apologizing or whose name appeared on the statement, issuing an anonymous apology instead.

This ghostly behavior by Jeong (Chairman) is not unprecedented. During previous major tragedies surrounding Korean football, including the failure to qualify for the Olympic Games finals in 40 years, Jeong (Chairman) consistently avoided taking responsibility or offering apologies from the forefront, choosing instead to hide. His silence upon returning home without a single explanation as his term nears its end is merely an extension of this pattern.

The key figure who held full authority over the head coach appointment has hidden away; the commander he brought in has fled to his private residence; and the administrative head is hiding behind anonymity, passing time in silence. With leaders from the top setting a precedent for cowardly evasion of responsibility, perhaps the decline of Korean football was inevitable from the start.

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*This content was translated by AI.